With This Ring
by TigerFlower
Summary: Sequel to Bond or Free. Mostly about Zelda and Marth's marriage and Link and Jennan's oncoming engagement, and some other things. Not as boring as it sounds. I am updating very slowly, so don't think I've abandoned the story, cuz I haven't. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

A spring breeze gently blew through the Altean castle window, and the warm sunlight poured in with it. It was late afternoon, and Princess Zelda stood leaning with her hands on the stone windowsill, closing her eyes and breathing in the welcomed air that met her face. The long silk robe that hung loosely over her shoulders and around her forearms blew in the breeze and mingled with her long blond hair that followed its pattern. Zelda tilted back her head and spread her hands farther apart, as if trying to become one with the wind.

Sometimes she wished that she could, so she could be taken away from here and back to Hyrule. Being the princess of Altea by marriage was much easier said than done, as was tolerating Marth. Not to say that she was entirely unhappy; that was not the case, for Marth treated her fairly and was nice enough, considering his bad temper, and she always got whatever she wanted, though she was used to that.

Or almost everything she wanted. There were certain things that she could possibly not have, and it would be ridiculous to even think about it. So she tried to concetrate on what she had and what she must do in the future, distant or near. Even after being married to Marth for five months now, she could still not say that she loved him. They clashed with each other more than not, for Zelda was an independet young woman and Marth was the fiery, hot-headed prince of a powerful nation. His youth sometimes made him come off as foolish, and Zelda knew that sometimes he was, but it was not as if she could complain. Marth may have had a bad temper, but lately Zelda found it easy to match him. Now as she looked out the window upon the beautiful kingdom that was half hers, her hand slipped to her growing stomach. She was just at the point to where the small bulge could be detected, and she thought it the strangest feeling in the world. A year ago she would have never thought that she would be in the position that she was now, the future queen of Hyrule as well as Altea, and married to the young prince of her rival country, hurtling headfirst into motherhood. She was only eighteen and did not consider herself quite ready to have a child, but there was obviously no going back on that now.

She wondered frequently how Link and his girl were holding out. She had received a letter, written by Link's own hand in Hylian, a few weeks after she had declared him free, and she was relieved to hear that it had worked. Marth knew that Zelda had received the letter, but he had no idea that she had folded it up and kept it in a gold locket around her neck. She knew him well enough, and figured that if he found out, he would probably break the locket and burn the letter. He was wiser than he seemed, and he _had_ to know that Zelda's true love was for Link, but he did not bring it up. There was no reason for him to, for the one that still held his wife's affections was off hundreds of miles away, and therefore Marth considered it no threat. Zelda knew that it would raise all Hades if anything ever happened to change that- Marth was very used to getting his own way, and there was no exception now.

As she drank in the calming late-spring air, she heard the huge double-doors of the room open with a heavy click and swing inwards. She did not turn from the window, but she knew that it was only Marth, for two reasons. One, nobody just entered the personal dwelling of the princess without summons, and two, she could tell it was him by the uneven sound of his footsteps on the marble floor. The old wound in his knee, which had once been a shattered kneecap but had long since healed over, seemed to bother him just as much now as when it had before. It was a shame that such a young man, not even yet twenty, was maimed for life and so skilled in the ways of war that it would be near impossible to get him back on the battlefield one day. Zelda was sure that if Altea or Hyrule ever went to war again, Marth would put up a fight to be let back into the heat of it, to lead his father's soldiers as he had before. But that was putting the prince and heir to the throne at severe risk and the king would probably not allow it.

Zelda felt Marth's hands on her shoulders, and she relaxed involuntarily. True, she and Marth had not fallen in love, but she enjoyed his touch and had to admit that she felt safe with him. Her eyes closed and she asked gently, "How is your father?" It was known all over the land that the king had been seriously ill for weeks now and was practically bedridden with a terrible cough. Marth went to his father's chamber every day and stayed, sometimes for hours at a time, to keep the man company. Though Marth had a cold side to him that showed more than not, Zelda knew that he deeply cared for his father, and the silent worry that was unspoken of was taking a slight toll on the young prince. The illness of the king was not a contagious one, so it was that way that Marth could stay with his father. But the sickness seemed to be attacking the king's respiration, and it was not an unknown thing that he was certainly not a young man anymore. He and his queen had had Marth at an older age, and that was nearly twenty years ago. The king's hair and beard had lost all color a long time ago and had been completely white for awhile now, a clear sign of his lengthening age.

Marth's hands tightened at the sound of his young wife's question, and he sighed through his teeth. "Worse- he gets worse every day, Zelda," he replied sorrowfully. "All the physicians and even my nurse have done all they could, but it doesn't help. The most he can manage is a game of chess every now and then, and sometimes he can't even finish that." Zelda had seen Marth and his father at chess before, and she remembered the king's frustration when he was beaten by his son, which was quite often because Marth was a genius at strategy. But now the king did not have enough energy to be frustrated, and only expressed his pride at his son's display of battle intelligence.

"There's nothing to be done?" Zelda whispered.

Marth let go of her shoulders and joined her in the open window. "No. I've had everything done that they know how. He may just be too far gone now."

Zelda was horrified. "Don't talk that way, Marth. He could pull through this; he's a strong man."

"Not anymore," Marth said stubbornly. "I hate to say it. But it's the truth."

Deep down, she was sure that he was probably right. Marth would become king with his father's passing, but that did not even put a dent in his worry. Zelda knew that Marth was mature in his own ways and good at being in control, but sometimes she wondered if he was hiding that he was not ready for the king's crown. Of course he would just do what was required of him when the time came, but maybe with some uncertainty. She knew how he felt, for she had been unsure at the thought of being queen of Hyrule, but that was different because she would have ruled alone with no king by her side.

"Marth, I'm sorry." Zelda meant it. Sure, they had had plenty of personal battles between themselves in the past five months of their marriage, but they had developed a caring for one another. She could only imagine what she would be like if it were _her_ father possibly on his deathbed. Marth and his father were not as close as Zelda and hers had been, but nevertheless, this was Marth's flesh and blood as well as his king.

Late that night after Marth had finally come to bed and fell asleep promptly, Zelda lay awake with a pain and movement in her stomach. She felt guilty that her mind was wandering off in places that it should not, and she tried to direct her thoughts back on the right track. She knew she had no right to think those things, not anymore. She was married now and soon to be a mother, and Link was way off in Carrickfergus with a pretty girlfriend. She had almost always considered Link her hero, even when he was miles away from her, and had found herself fantasying about him when he was gone, but she could not let herself do that now. It seemed a bit childish now, but nevertheless Zelda had to fight the thoughts away.

She had not heard anything from Link since that last letter, and sometimes she worried that he might not be well. But what foolish conclusions were those? This was Link! His courage made him seem nearly invincible, for he would face all the armies of the world head-on if something called for it- Zelda knew he would. It was as if he was always in trouble no matter where he was, but he was sly and cunning enough to somehow find a way out of it. It was another one of his qualities that Zelda had always admired. He had done some crazy yet brave things that she could never have fathomed doing herself, like throwing himself into a dozen-to-one battles, plunging over a forty foot high waterfall to rescue a drowning child, how many times he had dared to tame a fully wild horse with his bare hands... he had done all of these things and a lot more, but was a hundred percent humble when it came to receiving praise or thanks for them. He was tall and powerful, handsome, agile, courageous, and in Zelda's eyes, had a heart of gold.

Courage. In the darkness, Zelda touched the mark of the Triforce on the back of her left hand, a symbol of her wisdom. Link had one to match, one that had been rightly placed by whoever did those kind of things, for if there was only one word that would describe Link it would be 'courageous'. Zelda found her mind wandering again and fell asleep smiling at the memories.

**-O-**

There was no reason to be worrying for Link, for he was managing quite well on the plantation and enjoying his freedom. After his girl Jennan had brought back Princess Zelda's royal demand five months ago, Dorobis had been showing his severe disliking for Link by an onimous silence. It had almost seemed better when the man had vocalized his hatred, rather than say nothing at all. The day after Link's freedom had been declared, he had gone to Dorobis in the man's dwelling off behind the house and requested to stay on the plantation to work for money. It was no secret that Link was a hard worker and therefore a very valuable ranch-hand, and even Dorobis knew that things might fall apart without the Hylian young man, for as a slave he had been playing an important part in the cycle of things.

When Link had directly made clear his idea, Dorobis, who was sitting at his desk with a feathered ink pen in hand, stopped writing and looked up from his paper in awe. "Work as a _job_?" he had spit out. "You want me to _pay_ you?" A mocking smile then spread on the man's bearded face. "You must be jesting."

Link had known that Dorobis had enough money and then some to pay him as a ranch-hand. True, Link would still be under the man's dominion somewhat, but it would be much different this time, as a boss and employee, rather than owner and slave. And Link was somehow okay with that. "You might need me around," he had replied after a moment, trying to keep his voice non-threatening to make sure it did sound as if he were demanding. It was a very tender situation, and the wrong move might make Dorobis snap any moment.

But, surprisingly, Dorobis was not hostile. He had smirked and went back to his writing. "Boy, don't think I don't know why you want to stay. Everyone this side of Carrickfergus knows why." Link had fought the color rising in his cheeks; somehow he still managed to get worked up from the act of getting teased. "So you don't have to pretend otherwise. You want to stay here because of my daughter."

Yes, Jennan was the reason. After being together daily for over a year now and falling in love with each other, Link could not imagine being apart from her. So he had said so. "Yes sir... I can't leave her now."

"No, you can't," Dorobis had said tartly, and his pen stopped on the paper, but his eyes snapped up to Link's face. "And I don't think I have to remind you why."

He did not. That reason was no secret either.

"So," Dorobis had continued on, his voice prideful to hide his defeat, "if you stay and do the same work as before, I will pay you. You're going to need the money."

Link would not let his confusion show. "Why, sir?"

Dorobis had leaned back in his chair with pen still in hand. "Link," he sighed, which was strange because the man hardly ever called the young man by name, "come now, I know you- you're not that naive." Dorobis had narrowed his eyes and switched the tone of his voice ominously. "I don't know about where you come from, but here you do not sleep with a girl and then not expect to marry her."

At least he did not mention Jennan's miscarriage. That was the result of the 'reason' Dorobis had been talking about. 'Just watch your step' the man had warned.

That was five months ago, and now Link was getting used to working for money, a thing that had happened a few times before but not very often. When Dorobis paid him at the end of every week, always reluctantly, Link took the money and stashed it away in a place that only he and Jennan knew about. If felt good to have his own money that he had rightly earned, with no threat of anyone taking it like there had been when he had had a job somewhere before. He knew he had to be saving the money so he would have enough to get them started when he and Jennan got married. To everyone's amazement, Dorobis had willingly gave his permission for the wedding, but he refused for it to happen until at least the coming winter, and it was just now late spring. At least that would give Link some time to save up his earnings, but though he was not happy with the idea of waiting six or seven months until their wedding, he did not dare say so to Dorobis. He and Jennan knew that they were lucky to have the permission that they did.

The main reason that Dorobis had agreed to pay Link money --besides needing Link around the plantation-- was the fact that the man knew the one-day wedding was inevitable, and he wanted his youngest daughter to be well-supported, even if it meant swallowing his hatred. There was no doubt he wanted his daughter to have a good life, for he knew if he did not accept the wedding that Link and Jennan would just go off on their own and get wed, so there was not much that he could do in this situation. For a man that was used to having his own way, it was a major step.

Link's life on the plantation remained almost the same as it had been, but now he was free in name as well as deed. He felt more respectable when he was looked upon as an equal, instead of a slave. He still slept in the stable loft and still cared for the horses as he had before, but now that he was making money for it (rather than escaping a beating), he took extra care to make sure that everything was done correctly. He usually worked from sunrise, or before, until sundown, even now in the summer. He was known for being a wrangler in his own land and an expert horseman, so the many horses of Dorobis' were always in the best conditions. Though Link was busy throughout the day, he still managed to give his mare Epona individual care and attention. Dorobis' other slave and Link's friend Artos helped manage the stables, so Link sometimes got to have time off.

It was not unusual for Dorobis to have slaves, but for fifteen years now he had only possessed Artos and the old kitchen slave Ima, and Link but since he was free that did not quite count anymore. Artos had been a slave to Dorobis since he was but five years old, and Ima was not only a cook who lived in the narrow house with the family but she also was somewhat of a nurse who had tended many hurts in her lifetime. Jennan's older sister Memnet seemed to be going the way of the nurse as well; she had learned a lot from Ima over the years and was almost as skilled as the old woman. The middle child, their brother Matayo, was seventeen and the most restless of the three, for he did not know what he wanted to do with his life and seemed to never be content. He was especially this way because he did not have a girl, and sometimes Link thought that Matayo was jealous of him, though they were fairly good friends and had been for awhile.

Their ritzy cousin Beth and her two slaves were at the plantation more than they were at their own home in another part of the land. Jennan and Beth had been rivals since early childhood, and then the now teenage girls had many quarrels and even once a fight in the creek in the woods. Thinking back on that small battle, Link usually had to suppress a laugh, because he had been the main cause of that fight. That was back before he and Jennan were an official couple, but maybe if the fight had not happened, things would have went differently, or they may have not gone at all. So maybe Beth and her snobbery were good for something at least.

Sometimes Link thought longingly of Zelda, for it was hard to forget an old love, but he was so busy that he did not have much time for thinking. Besides, he and Jennan were looking at their future together, and Zelda was married to the Altean prince. So though it felt terribly unnatural, the only thing that could be done was to forget the past that he and the princess had and start looking forward in life.

Link did not think that he could have done better than pick Jennan for his future bride. Yes, she was just sixteen and Link eighteen, but she had already passed the usual age to wed for a young woman, and he loved her. Back when he was first beginning to realize it, he could not believe if- he had thought that after Zelda, he would never fall in love again. But here he had, and it was no secret that Jennan had it bad for him since almost the very beginning of his arrival to the plantation. His 'arrival' had been completely against his will, but now he figured that fate worked in strange ways, even if it seemed like the worst thing in the world at one point, it might turn into something wonderful later, as it had for him.

Before Link had came, Jennan was often aloof and lonely when not with Memnet, for the location of the plantation made it to where there was no other houses for miles and Jennan was friendless. One of Dorobis' hired men, who was as close to being a shieldbearer without being one, Henry, who was young, handsome, and British, had expressed interest in Jennan and had even tried to court her, but since she was so unwilling the young man had stopped trying. And after Link's coming, she had fallen head-over-heels for him and refused to even consider anyone else.

Though he had always been quite uncomfortable with it, Link was used to girls 'making eyes' at him at least. But when he had first laid eyes on Jennan, he felt lightning in his veins and knew that there was a special connection between them. To Link, Jennan was the picture of sweet beauty, but anyone with eyes could see that she was almost other-wordly pretty. Her family had Spanish blood from somewhere up the line, and she had jet-black hair and eyes so dark brown that it could hardly be detected where the color ended and the pupil began. Her face was fair and heart-shaped, and her long, thick hair was almost always tied in a tight knot on the back of her head. She was short, only a few inches over five feet, but thin and shapely. It was no wonder that she was the object of other girls' jealousy.

Link was quite attractive himself. He was tall and well-built, for one could see the muscle of his body even through his tunic, and his hair was thick and blond. His face was manly but not very squared, his lips were thin and his eyes were of the deepest ocean blue. Being Hylian that he was, his pointed ears completed his unique look, for that was a thing rarely seen here in Carrickfergus.

Not only were Link's looks attractive, but he was very skilled in the ways of weapons, especially with the sword, bow and arrow, and even the boomerang. Archers were common in the land, but not a left-hander who was so skilled that he could shoot an arrow, and get a bullseye of course, and then shoot another and split the first arrow down the middle at will, from many paces away from the target. Link had done this more than once, and often when with his friends, Jennan would throw an apple or whatnot high into the air, and Link would take aim with one eye closed and the fruit would always come down in two pieces. All these qualities about him that almost everyone loved, but Link never once got conceited or forgot himself. He did not think of his good points, but instead at times secretly dwelled on his mistakes.

One warm afternoon in late spring, while Link was in the stable and laying down fresh straw, Dorobis came inside alongside a blonde woman on a tall horse. Link stopped in mid-move and looked over his shoulder in surprise, for Dorobis seldom entered the stable. He knew that he had seen the woman five months ago at the masquerade, but he had not thought that she would come back. He leaned on the blunt end of the pitchfork and watched as Dorobis delicately helped the woman down from the saddle to the dusty floor below.

Dorobis handed the reins over to Link, who took them silently and tossed the pitchfork to the side, his eyes still on the lady. She looked down her nose at him with her chin tilted up, as if she were far too good to look directly at him. Dorobis cleared his throat irritably and laid a hand gently on the woman's shoulder. "This my... hired hand, Link," he said firmly as he motioned to the young man. "He is in charge of the stable, and quite experienced with horses, my lady."

"I see," the woman said flatly. She looked Link over once, her eyebrows pinched between her eyes, and then extended her hand to him palm-down. He looked at it blankly, then reached out with his free hand and shook hers. The elegant woman looked shocked, and her mouth fell open slightly as her hand went limp in surprise. Link let go quickly and pulled back as if she had slapped him; he did not know what he had done that was so amazing and shocking.

Dorobis sighed heavily and tried to reassure the woman, "He comes from Hyrule and I guess does not know exactly the proper manners for a lady here." He glared at Link when he said this, and Link turned away to tend to the woman's horse. He had not known that it was such a bad thing to shake a woman's hand- now he knew that he had been expected to kiss her knuckles, but he doubted he would have done it anyway. As the two of them left the stable murmuring to one another, Link got to work on the tall horse. After removing the tack and giving the steed a good rub-down, a slight sound in the stable doorway caught his attention. He did not turn to face it at first, but instead continued with his work for a few moments before finally glancing back to see what was there.

Then he wished that he had not looked in the first place. If there was any female that he wanted to avoid with everything he had, it was Beth. She seemed to never cease harrassing him, despite knowing that he was going to be betrothed to her cousin soon. Beth had flirted and thrown herself at him since they had first met, and he always brushed her off the same as before without getting rough with her. It was not his nature to get hostile with women, even in situations like this, so he resorted to keeping his distance from her.

Now Jennan was normally a peaceful young woman, but when it came to someone hitting on her man (especially Beth), it was a different story. Link was certainly not the type to fool around with other girls, and he had become accustomed to giving the cold shoulder nonchalantly. But Beth was quite persistent when Jennan was not around, and Link was finding it harder to keep away from her. Beth was such a flirt that she was not even above quite literally swooning at times when Link passed by.

She was smiling now, and was doing her best to attractive. She was actually a very pretty young woman, but Link refused to notice. "Hello, Link," she said, and ran her hands down the front of her red velvet skirt. Link mumbled an acknowledgment, but of course it did not deter her. She entered the stable and sauntered over to him, walking slowly and purposefully, as if trying to be seductive. She easily could be, if he let himself see it. Even Dorobis' companion men were tantalized by Beth, and someone once told her that she would make a good saloon girl. But they never did anything but look at her, for no one was brave enough to mess with Dorobis' niece. She was a girl who always wore the best, most expensive dresses, and they seemed to be awfully low-cut and revealing. And it also seemed that when she was around Link, the cut of the dress was lower and the sleeves always falling off her shoulders more than before.

Link ran his hands down the back of the horse and noticed that Beth was quite close now. She suddenly reached up and touched his clean-shaven face with her long, lusting fingers. Link turned his head only long enough to look at her blankly, then stepped away and told her that he had work to do. She accepted this with a smiling nod and went and sat herself daintily on the bottom rung of the ladder that reached up into the loft. Her chin rested in her hands, and it seemed to be completely out of Link's power when he could not help but notice how much of her full bosom was actually showing when she was in that position. He flinched and looked away quickly while reaching for the pitchfork, and Beth grinned silently to herself, as if she had accomplished something.

When the horse was stalled and settled in, Link was glad to be able to escape, but before he was even to the door Beth rose and seized his forearm. "Does my uncle have you working _that _hard?" she asked doubtfully. "Stay here and talk to me."

He did not want to talk to her, and he especially did not like her touching him. "Yeah," he replied stiffly. "Actually, he does."

She pulled him back farther into the stable. "Well, you can take a break, I'm sure." She motioned to a thick pile of hay by the last stall. "Why don't we sit down?"

"I don't wa-" But his protest was cut off, for she planted her hands at his shoulders and suddenly he was down anyway. That girl was stronger than she looked, especially when he was not expecting it. She lowered herself into the hay beside him, her arm hooked around his, and he felt almost buried and suffocating in her thick skirts and close presence.

"You know, one day you're going to over-work yourself," she said matter-of-factly. What did she care? If he wanted to over-work himself, that was his business. He made an attempt to get up, but felt the heel of her shiny black shoe dig into his shin purposefully- he felt it even through the leather of his knee-high boot. "You need to learn to relax," she continued, as if she was unaware that she had just assaulted him. She pressed herself harder against him and clung to the tightness of his bicep, and looked up at him with her luxurious green eyes- she looked a lot like her little brother Peter. There were two halves of Link that warred within him- the one natural half that was telling him to take advantage of this situation, the other half telling him to _get out now_. The latter overpowered the other, and though Beth tried to stop him again, he stood up and shook her loose.

"Beth," he said, choosing his tone carefully, "that's gotta stop." He wanted to say, _I'm not here to entertain you,_ but that would sound overly rude, even if she did deserve it. She stood up suddenly, and her hands clasped him around the back of the neck, and Link was sure that he had never seen such a crazy, lovesick girl. She closed her paint-rimmed eyes and leaned her face up to his. Link swallowed hard and felt his adam's apple have a spasm at the sight of her full lips, but he was not about to give in to her now. He gripped her arms firmly and pushed her back a step, though she was unwilling to go. Surely she would be getting angry by now, but for some reason she just laughed at him.

"Link," she teased, "you're too sexy to be so stand-offish. I'm not poisonous."

Yes, she was. Everywhere she went she poisoned men with her seducing. Without another word, Link turned and left the stable, leaving her standing alone and finally quiet.

**-O-**

Jennan had been elated when she had heard that her father agreed to the marriage in the winter. Of course, it would not be official until Link actually proposed to her personally, and she did not want to rush him. She knew that he would figure out a way to do it that, though it would not be a surprise, it would still be just as an important moment as if it would be one. She was excited nonetheless, and had Ima already working on her wedding gown, for she wanted it to be perfect when it was finished.

When she was younger and had imagined what her wedding to be like, she had never pictured what she was thinking now. She considered herself incredibly lucky to have snared Link and kept him in her clutches. She thought that she was a kind of boring person, but if Link did not think that, that was all that mattered to her. He was hard to hang onto, not by his own will of course, but because all females seemed to cling to him, or even the very idea of him. Jennan was glad that not many other girls lived near the plantation, but if there was anyone she had to worry about, it would be Beth.

She and her cousin had never gotten along, but their feuds over Link only intensified things. The situation tired Jennan out a lot, but she refused to be beaten down and defeated. It was not unusual to see her trampy cousin with a different man every day- sometimes Jennan just wanted to strangle her. She knew she herself was not anywhere near perfect, but Beth seemed as if she did not know when to stop.

On an entirely separate note, Jennan had noticed something about her brother Matayo lately. She could not quite put her finger on it, but she knew that there was something unusually different about him. Even though they both lived in the same small house, they were not in close quarters with one another very often, but Jennan knew her brother well enough to tell that something was bothering him. About the time that Link was fighting off Beth in the stable, Jennan cornered Matayo in the kitchen of the house and asked if she could talk with him.

"Jennan, I'm busy," he replied irritably, and tried to go past her, but she planted herself to the floor and held up a hand at his chest to stop him.

"Maybe it's not my business," she said slowly, "but there's something wrong, isn't there?"

"I'm okay."

Jennan frowned. "No, you're not okay... are you?"

"Look," he snapped, "I didn't harass _you_ when you were having problems, so just leave me alone."

Jennan stepped back against the table as he shoved by her and left the house with the door slamming behind him, and she had a strong feeling that this was certainly not the end of the situation.

**-O-**

Prince Marth was on one knee on the marble floor of the king's dwelling, his forehead resting on the bed and his hands clasping one of his father's. He made sure to keep completely still and silent, for he was listening intently to the sound of the king's rasping breaths, ready to spring into action if he had to. The king had never been in such ill health, and this night the coughing and blood seemed to never cease. Marth was infuriated that no one, not even the chief physician, could think of something to do. Maybe there really was nothing, but the prince had to blame someone.

The only one that did not seem distressed over it was the king himself. It was as if he had accepted his condition long ago, perhaps even before it had begun. When his son expressed deep concern or even anger, the man just brushed it off and said that things such as this could not be stopped, and it might as well be lived with. Marth wondered if his father even knew that the illness would eventually bring death- there was no getting around that. It had happened many times with people who had developed the bloody cough, and of course it would be no exception even with royalty. Now as Marth gripped his father's hand, the man awoke, and after taking a few moments to cough, reached over and patted his son's knuckles.

"You need to get out of this sickroom and get back to your beautiful wife," the man said hoarsely, a small smile on his lips. "There's no reason for you to be in here, you're young and perfectly well."

Marth raised his head and met his father's eyes. "Father, you took care of me every time I've been sick, and now it's my turn to take care of you."

"Your job is to take care of your wife and your country."

Marth frowned sorrowfully at his father's words. "It won't be my country until I'm king, and that won't be for awhile."

The king managed a raspy laugh. "Actually very soon, my son. Marth, I am dying; there's no secret in that. Just look at it, you will be _king_ soon. Isn't that what you have wanted?"

Marth felt his throat close up, and he closed his eyes tightly. "Not like this," he replied, and his voice cracked harshly. "If it meant your life, I would rather not be king at all."

"Dying is nothing but a part of living. If you did not die, you would be... divinity." The king laughed, but Marth did not join in. "And anyway, my boy, the line of our royal family cannot just cease here. I must die, the same as everyone else."

"Do you think that makes it any easier?" Marth snapped.

"Of course not. I was the same way when your mother died, but after awhile you learn to accept it. Besides, you are going to be a father yourself in a few months... it's a shame that I will not be able to see my grandchild." For the first time the man looked depressed.

"You will. The gods will not let you go before."

The king scoffed. "The gods are powerless, Marth. It's something I've learned through my reign; there is no other power higher than the king. Perhaps there is one single God out there somewhere, but our gods have no power over death." The king held a cloth to his mouth and coughed quite violently. "And let you not forget it, my son. Soon you will hold complete power of this country. And if you ever have to lead your army into battle, I'm sure you know what to do. You are already more advanced in the ways of war than I myself am."

Marth's eyes rested on the blood spots in the white cloth, and somehow knew that it was a very ominous sign, though it was certainly not the first time it had happened. "There has to be something that can be done," he said stiffly. "For a king, they should be able to do anything."

"Well, they cannot, for I am certainly not young anymore. And anyway, right now I must rest. Go to your wife, my son."

Marth squeezed his father's hand tightly and reluctantly stood up, stiff from kneeling in the same position for so long. He felt his long cloak fall into place behind him as he looked down at his the king's closing eyes. Something was telling him not to leave, but no one could refuse to obey an order from the king, not even the prince. Marth reached down and touched his father's arm, then turned and left the dwelling.

Much later into the night, Marth and Zelda had gone to bed but Marth lay awake listening to his wife's deep and steady breathing for hours before at last falling asleep himself. He dreamed that he was in an intense, bloody swordfight in the dumping snow; in the dream he could not tell who it was that he was in battle with, but whoever it was always attacked with the left hand and they had a strong arm and solid hit. Marth's Falchion sword was knocked from his hand and then he himself was thrown to the ground, and the deadly blade of a blue-hilted sword was at his throat.

He woke up gasping for breath, but quickly regained his composure when he felt the warm breeze coming through the castle window. Suddenly he heard a frantic beating on the dwelling door and a young woman's voice telling him to come quickly, and Zelda awoke, confused, at about the time he sprang out of bed and was quickly pulling on his clothes.

"Marth, what is it?" Zelda asked, a sharp note of worry in her voice.

"I don't know yet," he replied quickly, and pulled on his cloak as he swung open the double-doors. He made his way down the hall in long strides, Zelda not far behind, with the servant girl leading the way to the king's sickroom. Marth had a very terrible feeling, one of those times that somehow the situation is known before it is proven. The three of them entered the dwelling and passed the nurse, who moved out of their way with a stiff bow. Marth laid eyes on his father, and though it looked as if the man were only sleeping, the prince somehow knew that it was not the truth. He felt a stab of pain rush through him as he turned past Zelda and leveled his sharp gaze on the nurse, who lowered her head and mouthed silently, _He's gone._

Without quite being aware that he was doing it, Marth fell to his knees beside the bed, his forehead on his father's cold wrist. He did not notice that he was holding his breath until he felt Zelda's hand slide onto his shoulders and grip lightly. He let out a shuddering breath which quickly turned into a sob, and he felt his hands curling into tight fists on the bed. He could feel Zelda's sympathy through her hands, but what he felt that was stronger was the sorrow and rage that was burning within him. His shoulders heaved with sobs, but not one tear fell. Even the fact that he was very soonly going to be crowned king, possibly even the next day, did not deter him from the strong feeling of loss. He and his father had had many feuds in the past, but that did not dull his pain.

As if she could feel Marth's anger, Zelda suddenly pulled her hands away, and he stood up slowly. His fists were shaking, but when he turned to the nurse, his voice sounded somehow calm and clear. "The death of a king does not go unpunished." He took in a shaking breath and raised one eyebrow at the fearful woman, who had pressed herself against the nearest wall. Zelda was horrified at her husband's words, for surely this was only fate, and no one could be blamed. But Marth's anger was often out of control, and there was no telling who might face his wrath- it was no secret that there might very well be another death in the morning.

**-O-**

**Are you all glad that I finally got this sequel up? If anybody's reading this that did not read the first story, you might want to go back and read that one so you won't be too confused. I was really glad that I got all the reviews I did on Bond or Free, and it'd be great if I got a lot of good ones this time. But if you want to flame, feel free. It's not like I'm gonna get burned, lol**


	2. Chapter 2

**I know it took me forever and then some to get this up, but there was a week or more where I couldn't write at any at all, so it took me awhile to catch up. But here it is at last, and it's about time! XD**

**-O-**

It was dark by the time Jennan could get out of the house and go off in search of Link. She found him in the loft of the stable, and she paused on the ladder, one hand on the top rung and the other holding her skirts loosely. Link was lying on his back in the hay, one knee up and his hands on his face, his sheathed sword propped up in the corner. It was obvious that he was awake because he rocked his knee back and forth slowly, and Jennan pulled herself into the loft, silent even in her heeled shoes, and made her way quietly to him. She was in a flirty mood and had been waiting to capture him all day, glad that now he was finally alone. He froze suddenly and stiffened, a sign that he knew she was there, and she knelt down beside him and and let her hand slide over his chest.

As soon as she touched him he was on his knees in a heartbeat and had seized her arms quite violently, perhaps as if he was aiming to throw her off the loft. She was so surprised that she only went limp and sat gaping at him, and about that time he seemed to focus on her and let go as quickly as he had grabbed her.

"The gods, Jennan, I'm sorry." He sheepishly reached over and pulled her to him gently, and she came slowly, still in shock at the previous situation. He was always very gentle with her, and though she had seen him fight and work many times, it was just now that she realized exactly how strong he was, for he could nearly snap her in half without hardly even trying- but instead of being afraid she was more impressed.

"What was that all about?" she asked, forcing a smile. Link let go of her and sat back, running his hands through his hair. He looked stressed.

"Nothing. Just a reflex."

Jennan tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. "I haven't seen you have that reflex before. What happened?"

Link sighed through his teeth and ran the back of his hand over his mouth. "It's Beth. I've had to fight her off all day."

Jennan nearly came up off the floor. "Beth! I'll kill her."

Link shook his head. "She'll back off soon enough."

"What does she want?" Jennan felt that she already knew the answer, and she could feel the anger almost consume her. And Link just looked at her and shrugged slowly, but she could tell that he knew as well. If Jennan had a weapon, she was afraid that she would go in search of her cousin and start hacking. She noticed the Master Sword in the corner of the loft and had a quick thought of going after Beth with it, but she pushed that away and tried to think of a more sensible way to confront her cousin. She could tell that Link was not in the mood for talking about it, and that only increased her anger at Beth.

Link leaned over and began tracing the Triforce in the dust on the floorboards. Jennan watched but was distracted with her thoughts of revenge. Link glanced up at her, and as if he could read her mind, said, "Beth will learn to leave me alone."

Jennan's eyes shifted to him. "She's a lot more persistent than you think, Link. If she harassed you all day today, she'll make a habit out of it; believe me, I know. She's done all of this before. I saw her following Henry around just the other day."

"Better Henry than me."

Jennan certainly agreed with that. She ran her fingertips across the back of his neck possessively and laid her head on his shoulder. "I want to know why she never goes home. She's here more than she is at... wherever she lives. But I'll get rid of her soon enough."

A half-smile was at the corner of Links mouth. "Maybe she's got it bad for Henry."

Jennan glared at the wall. "No, she's got it bad for you, and I just know she wants to get it on with you too." Her eyes smoldered.

"Get it on," Link laughed nervously, "with _me?_ Yeah right."

"I've already gotten into a fight with her once, and you would think that'd teach her," Jennan continued angrily. "Maybe it's her blonde snobbery that makes her do it."

Link's eyebrow raised. "You must forget that she's not the only blond around here."

Jennan laughed and kissed him firmly. "You don't count." She grew serious again and looked at her fingernails. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about. It's about Matayo."

Link stood up and stretched the muscles in his back. "I think I know what it is."

"Really... what is it?"

He slowly picked up the sheathed sword and ran his thumb over the creases in the blue hilt. His eyes flashed up to her and then back to the weapon in his hand. "It wouldn't be a problem if Dorobis didn't make it one."

Jennan frowned. "Father makes everything difficult. Link, just tell me what it is."

"Matayo and Ness have something going on. I'm not sure what it is, but I've seen enough to know."

"Ness, Beth's negro slave? I had no idea..." Link had noticed something about her brother that she would have never guessed, and she and Matayo even lived in the same house. Jennan was surprised at all of the things she was naive about.

"Dorobis has to stop controlling everything that goes on," Link said bitterly. "He can't decide who Matayo falls for."

Jennan's voice softened. "And he couldn't choose for me, either." She saw something flash in Link's eyes when he looked at her, and then he strapped on his sword and slid down the ladder to the stable floor. Jennan gathered her skirts and came down backward, and Link caught her by the thin waist and lowered her without effort. In the nearest stall, Link's mare Epona thrust her muzzle into Jennan's shoulder and nearly knocked her over with the friendly force of it.

Back when Link was still considered a slave, Dorobis had once even complained that the Hylian had brought too many things with him to the plantation, though Link's arrival had be unwilling and it was more Dorobis' fault than anyone's. Link's horse, his dog Gelert, and his friend Rhashidi had come only because Link was there, but now all of them had just become an official part of life at the plantation.

Rhashidi- now there was a boy that was hard to explain and usually had to be seen to be believed. He was basically normal enough at first glance, and though he was almost all brawn, he had a trademark timidity that kept him at a distance and normally quiet and aloof. But when times called for it, he could be dangerous in defense of his friends and quite the protector. He was not a force to ever be trifled with, for he was most commonly known by strangers as the 'wolf-boy', which was in fact not at all far from the truth. As far-fetched as it seemed, Rhashidi the instincts and senses of a dog, the ears of a wolf in his thick brown hair, and the two deadly fangs of a predator. It was suspected that perhaps he came from another realm, if that sort of thing really existed, and it was not unusual for him to be the object of distrust. But it was not easy to have the instincts and personalities of both a human and a wolf, and though he knew English well and was completely capable of speech, he also vocalized in dog-fashion and it was not out of the ordinary for him to express himself with a growl or even a bite as the result of his lightning-fast reflexes and the power of his jaws.

It was Princess Zelda who had first come across him, and after gaining his trust had sent him to be a protector of Link, and Rhashidi had done so ever since. Since Link was friends with almost everyone on the plantation, Rhashidi considered it his job to give protection to them as well, especially the women, and he could usually be found close by to Jennan's older sister Memnet. This boy's physical power was so advanced that he had once faced off with a full grown mountain cat, and after engaging in a vicious and bloody battle, killed the cat single-handedly.

After that incident no one dared to question Rhashidi, not even Dorobis. The wolf-boy did and went as he pleased unmolested, because if he would stand up to a monstrous killer like the mountain cat, nothing else could stand in his way and prevail. But the strange thing was, Rhashidi did not like confrontation and avoided it as much as possible. If not with Memnet, he could usually be found on the sheer cliff in the woods that was set behind the house and overlooking the plantation to make sure that all was well. He was always the first to notice what went on, and at the first sign of trouble he was always there.

And with Link around, trouble was not unusual. Not to say that Link went looking for it- it seemed to always come to him. For some reason most young men disliked him, and it was not a surprise if a fist-fight broke out. Especially Henry, the youngest of Dorobis' men but also the most respected, had caused Link the most trouble, and the two of them had been sworn enemies from the start. The outcome of a fight between them was inevitable, for with each battle Link had beat Henry bloody and reeling and come away with hardly a bruise. The Hylian was too fast, too strong, and just too good all around. But for some reason Henry kept coming back for more.

When Link was equipped with his sword, Henry did not dare bother him. But when he was weaponless, that was when the battles really broke out. Henry had disliked Link from the very beginning, but it was said that his hatred was really brought on by jealousy. It was certainly not a new thing for other young men to be jealous of Link for no reason, but Henry was considered to have one. The British young man had had his eye on Jennan ever since she had reached courting age, and though Dorobis had once even claimed the two of them would end up getting married, Jennan dug in her heels and refused to give Henry the time of day, which nearly drove him mad; but he reached breaking point when Jennan and Link had first laid eyes on each other, and the connecting spark had flared up between them. That had started their rivalry and the end of it did not seem to be in sight, for now it was Link's ring that Jennan was going to soon be wearing and not Henry's.

Life on a plantation would seem to be boring at first thought, but these were the things that went on here; these days there did not seem to be a dull moment. When there were so many teenagers together and feelings going around, there was sure to be drama- it had been that way forever and probably always would be throughout time.

Though Jennan had not known it until Link told her, there was in fact something between Matayo and Ness- feelings that had blossomed into love, in fact. They had gotten to know each other over the long time that Beth had been at the plantation, for Ness was Beth's slave and must go where her mistress went. Now it was no secret that Dorobis found race to be a big issue; he had ridiculed Link because he was Hylian and now Ness because she was African. When Matayo had told his father of his feelings for Ness, the man had said that 'he was done with his children falling for slaves, especially Negroes, and he was drawing the line here'. That had resulted in a screaming match between father and son, and would have maybe come to blows if Memnet had not stepped in and taken her brother's side. She knew that if enough people backed up Matayo and Ness, just like with Link and Jennan Dorobis would have to back down and give in.

With all of the negativity that Link and Jennan's relationship had brought on, they had been stubborn and in love enough to hang on, and it paid off. But for Matayo and Ness, it might not turn out so well.

**-O-**

All subjects of a royal castle wear black with the death of a king, and so it was in Altea. Prince Marth was not to be consoled, and he was silent the rest of the night that his father passed, and even Zelda thought it best to keep her distance from him. The nurse who had been in charge of the late king was practically in hysterics, terrified that she would be executed at the hand of the prince's anger in the morning. Zelda was unnerved over the situation, for not only had her father-in-law just died, but she was unsure if Marth would actually follow through with his threat when the time came. She knew that her young husband could be harsh and frightening when he wanted to be, and she was also sure that he always kept his word.

So she was devising a plan to spare the nurse's life. If the woman had been guilty of the king's death, Zelda would not hesitate to stand behind Marth in his decision, but the nurse had done everything she could to save the king. Marth was just acting out in pain and anger, but if he gave an order it was the law to obey it. In the morning if he commanded the nurse to die, it would be done as he said.

But Zelda felt that perhaps she could change his mind, if she approached him in the right way. If she was going to soon be queen, she wanted to be as just as when she was a princess. She did not think that subjects should die just because the prince felt he had to take his anger out on someone. Zelda talked this situation over with Marth's blind step-sister Anya, who had no blood relation to the royal family and thus had no title. Before Marth and Zelda's marriage, Anya had been very close to the prince and had been the only one that could talk sense into him, and Zelda thought that perhaps she could give advice that would give direction on what to say to Marth to request the nurse's life. Anya was devastated over the king's death herself, but something had to be done about Marth's blind rage. It was a very bad thing for a kingdom when the person that should be making the wise decisions was making the most foolish ones. Zelda had experience with ruling a country, and she felt that perhaps she could help set Marth straight.

It was going to be no small task, but Zelda knew she had to be up to it. Marth may have very soonly been a king, but he was first her husband, so that made her an equal with him in at least one way and lessened the dangers of facing him.

She found him in their dwelling with one of the stained-glass windows open; the hard night wind that came through whipped his hair and cloak, but he stood rigid and unmoving as he stared out into the darkness. No doubt he knew she was there, but he still did not budge. Zelda noticed that she was holding her breath, and exhaled slowly. There was not much reason for her to be nervous, for Marth would not get violent with her, but his harsh shortness was slightly unnerving. She came to a stop behind him and decided to just get right to the point.

"After the funeral tomorrow," she said gently, "the nurse is expecting to be executed."

He tilted his head slightly in her direction. The dark shadows on his face looked ominous. "Someone has to pay for the death of a king."

Zelda swallowed hard and felt a sharp pain in her pregnant stomach. "Marth," she said softly, "no they don't. Your father's death was natural, and you cannot punish fate. The gods chose for the king to go."

Marth scoffed quite harshly. "The gods mean nothing to me. Maybe there is a single God out there somewhere, but right now the only power in Altea is the king."

Zelda blinked slowly and took a small step towards him. "And it's _you_that is going to be king. Marth, please spare the nurse's life."

She saw him tense up, and then he turned to face her. "Zelda, have you ever lost someone close to you?"

"Yes." He meant in death, but in her opinion loss could be something different. "And I found out that taking out your pain on other people doesn't help. Think about it, Marth. If you kill the nurse..." -her hands slipped over her own stomach- "...what of her family and the people who love her? Her death will not bring back your father. It will only take away."

Marth's eyes rested on her hands, and though his expression remained the same, the look in his eyes changed. He slowly turned back to the window and waved his hand as if to dismiss something. "All right," he said, his voice husky. "I'll spare the nurse's life for you. But she won't be serving me personally."

Zelda was grateful, but it was not her way to thank him. She reached out and touched his arm. "It's late, and you have to rest. Come to bed."

In the morning, a great deal of the subjects were crowded outside the castle walls in what looked like a sea of black, for it was the traditional color for a funeral. The king's coffin was made of the most polished wood and had gold-plated creases and hinges. The burial was to take place on the hill that consisted of the rest of the royal graves, and the people attending nearly filled the valley at the base of the hill. Four guards from the castle carried the coffin to the deep hole that had been dug sometime during the night, and very gently set it inside.

The only people allowed on the actual hill were Marth and Zelda, Anya, the royal adviser Gathan, a burial priest, and a slew of guards, all dressed in dark clothing. Marth wore a black robe that touched the ground and had a wide hood that he had pulled loosely over his head. He stood straight and solid as stone, and did nothing but stare down into the open grave. The priest raised his hands, and the entire crowd was eerily silent. As he began his sayings to lay the king to rest, Zelda heard a sob from somewhere in the crowd, and she turned her head ever so slightly to peer through the black veil over her face. Even from here she could tell that there was more than one person in the crowd that was in tears, and she felt her own eyes flood over. Only Marth was stone-faced, and throughout the whole funeral procession his expression changed not once, even when the grave was filled.

The rest of the day passed slowly and quietly, and Zelda did not see Marth much throughout that time. When darkness came on there was going to be a royal ceremony that officially crowned and declared Marth as king, and since there must be witnesses, the crowd who had attended the funeral had gone home to prepare for the night. For the first time since the crowning of Marth's father, the public would be allowed into the castle and right up into the very throne room. Zelda had looked over the throne many times, but at a distance. The queen's seat was directly beside the king's, and had not been used for years now. Zelda would be the first queen in a long time to occupy that throne, but that did not take away the sympathetic pain of losing her father-in-law.

The castle was crazy with the arrival of people that night, and Zelda spent most of that time sitting at the banquet table to keep herself out of the way. Marth was nowhere in sight and was probably being dressed and prepared for the ceremony by his servants. Zelda was secretly feeling quite ill, though it was certainly not the night for it, but she kept having a repeating wave of nausea. Subjects kept approaching her and bowing low to the ground and quickly moving on, perhaps just to say that they had been in close quarters with the princess. She did not mind, but hoped that she would be in good enough health to stay through the rest of the ceremony.

A small crowd of advisers stood at the throne to patiently and await the prince. Zelda was beginning to get dizzy from all of the activity, and clutched a golden cup of white wine in her hand and noticed her slight shaking. She imagined that Marth was very nervous at this point, but was somehow more weighed down by the loss of his father than the pressure of soonly becoming a king.

Finally the heavy doors to the room swung open, and Marth was there and flanked by two guards. Zelda thought he looked very nice, but not at all happy or excited. He met her eyes, even from across the room, and then as he slowly approached the throne, the people lining the walls dropped into a slow bow. Marth's steps were slow but meaningful, and his gaze was piercing as he leveled his eyes on the advisers that held the king's crown; the gold arc was much like the prince's crown, but wider and implanted with jewels. The two guards split apart from Marth when he ascended the steps of the throne, and a hush fell over the crowd.

The ceremony that was going on now was a definite step up from the one that had took place just that morning. The crowd still wore all black, but the mood was changed and excited. Marth, on the other hand, was the exact opposite and dressed in the white cloak that he had worn on his and Zelda's wedding day. When he reached the top step and the platform that housed the thrones, the prince faced the crowd and slowly slid his hands behind his back, concealed between his body and the long cloak, and stood ramrod straight and still. The late king's personal adviser exhaled quietly, and as the silent crowd looked on, held up the crown a little higher and began his short speech.

"The death of a king," the man said slowly, and his voice echoed throughout the huge room, "is a difficult thing for not only a son, but also for a prince and as well as a country. We lost our king and our leader, but that is not where it ends. Thankfully the king had a son, a very wise and compatible young man for the throne, and it was the king's wish, of course, for Prince Marth to take over and rule the country as his father had done. We can be assured that we are in good hands, my friends. And it is my pleasure to do as I am about to."

Marth slowly turned to the man, his long cloak swinging around with him, and knelt down onto one knee. Zelda held her breath, and it seemed as if the whole crowd did as well. With so many people in one room the silence seemed almost impossible, but it was very well happening. All eyes were up at the throne as one of the advisers reached out with both hands and gently slid the gold prince's crown from Marth's hair; then the man with the king's crown raised it a few inches for the crowd to see, then leaned forward and replaced the prince's crown. Marth put a hand to his hair and stood stiffly, and when he turned to the crowd, Zelda led the huge wave of applause and cheers.

Marth did not even smile, but looked over at Zelda and held out a hand in her direction. She pushed back her chair and dropped her glass of wine in the surprise of getting to him, and when she got close he reached out and took her hand. After he pulled her over to him, the late king's head adviser called out loudly, "Behold your king and your queen!"

This caused an even more intense joyful uproar, and Zelda at last detected the smallest of smiles on Marth's mouth. The advisers bowed deeply and left the platform to join the crowd. Anya was near the front of the people and close to the throne, and her blind eyes were shining as she applauded, as if she could see her brother's glory. White flower petals were thrown high into the air and were soonly all throughout the room.

The night ended in excitement and drunkenness, and by morning nearly ever subject of the kingdom had a hangover, but Marth and Zelda seemed to have been the only ones that were not drunk. Zelda felt better than she had the night before- maybe it had something to do with the pride of officially being a queen. She did not feel much different other than that; she still had the same feelings and the same loves and everything else, but being in such a high and powerful position was exciting, for she was now second in command over a country. She of course had always been a princess and was used to having things her way, but her father had taken care of all of the important decisions back home in Hyrule. Now she would be doing some of it herself.

Marth was in his dwelling behind closed doors and had been all morning, but Zelda was exploring the throne room with interest when Gathan, holding a thin scroll, came inside and bowed low to her. "Queen Zelda," he said respectfully.

"Gathan," she replied, and nodded her head to signal him to continue. He rose from the bow and rolled open the scroll.

"I wanted to present this to you, highness, before I showed the king. Perhaps you can be the one to call it to his attention, for it may displease him."

"What is it, Gathan?"

The man stroked his beard for a moment before turning the scroll towards her. "It is from Akanea's king; they are requesting a time for peace talks in Carrickfergus."

The last word caused Zelda's heart to jump- Link was in Carrickfergus. But then she felt badly for thinking that and instead began to wonder why the Akanean king would want to cross all of Altea and Hyrule just to have these talks in the distant land of Carrickfergus. It was a terribly long trip and did not make sense, but Zelda was hopeful at the thought of seeing Link again, for if Marth went to Carrickfergus that would mean she would go as well. But Marth would know what to do about it, so he should not doubt be shown right away.

"Take it to Marth," she commanded, "and don't be afraid. I won't let him hurt you in any way."

Gathan looked embarrassed, but bowed and hurried off. Zelda followed at her own pace, and by the time she reached the dwelling the scroll was open and Marth was already in a slight rage, yelling his suspicions and judging the invitation as some kind of a deceiving trick. Zelda came inside and tried to convince him to calm down and think it over, and surprisingly he did.

"I don't trust it, Zelda," he said flatly, and ignored Gathan completely. "What makes them think that I want any peace with them? And besides, I want to know the reason why we can't meet here where I have soldiers. I can't take a whole army with me to Carrickfergus, and the Akaneans know it."

Zelda bit her lip and tried to think. "Gathan, do you think it sounds untrustworthy?"

Gathan's head snapped up in surprise. "Uh, well, your highness, I agree that it could very well be a trick. But also what if the Akaneans really do want peace?"

"But why would they choose Carrickfergus for a meeting place?" Marth snapped. "I don't trust it."

"Of course it's your decision, Marth," Zelda said, hoping to calm him, "but we just want to help you decide. Maybe there's a reason they chose Carrickfergus."

Marth waved his hand irritably. "It's too many miles from Akanea to Carrickfergus, and it makes no sense for them to want to travel all that way for nothing. They did not offer to come to Altea, and neither did they want us to come there."

"Perhaps they consider that the most peaceful thing," Gathan said quietly. Marth eyed him carefully. "It may seem to them to be a sign of dominance to meet in Akanea, and maybe they are afraid to meet here in Altea. Hyrule may seem just as dangerous to them, and they know that Doluna is another one of Altea's sworn enemies, and of course we cannot meet in the ocean. So though it is far away, Carrickfergus is the closest and most peaceful place. It has no king, and without a king it has no army."

Marth thought on this for a moment, and then grinned slightly. "It's times like these that I remember why I keep you around, Gathan. I like the way you think." His face hardened again. "But I still don't trust it."

Zelda tilted her head and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "It's wise for a king to be cautious, but what if Gathan is right?"

"We'll never know unless we try," Marth replied, "but I don't want to gamble with it."

Zelda bit her lip; she wanted to go, just for the chance of seeing Link, and if Marth had not figured that out by now she did not plan on telling him. She did not want to act too desperate to go, for she knew that Marth would probably only do the exact opposite, so she struggled to appear calm. In a way she felt guilty for getting this excited over a man that was not her husband, but she could not help it- her love for Link had never died.

"We must send back a reply to Akanea as soon as possible, majesty," Gathan said quietly. "We need peace as soon as we can have it."

Marth turned to the window, the bottom of his dark blue cloak brushing the ground. "Even if we can manage peace with Akanea, we are still rivals with Doluna. But the less problems I have to deal with, the better."

"Exactly," Zelda agreed. "But of course we have to consider the risks. We can't just walk into a trap."

Marth glanced back at her. "Even if I go, you're not coming."

"What? Why not?"

He reached up and pushed back the curtains from the window. "I don't trust it as it is, and if a battle breaks out I don't want my wife involved in it."

"Not only am I your wife, but I am also the queen of Altea. I'm supposed to be beside you in everything you do, Marth. And besides, you aren't even sure if there will be a battle."

Marth turned and faced her squarely. "We don't only have you to think about."

Just as he said this Zelda felt a pain in her stomach, and though she knew that he was right, it did not change her desire to go to Carrickfergus. "I'll be all right. Marth, I want to go if you do."

Marth grumbled something about her stubborness and sighed. Zelda shared a quick look with Gathan, and then Marth gave up the fight. "Fine, you can come _if_I decide to go." He turned to Gathan. "I'll be bringing more than a few soldiers, just in case, but not so many that it seems like I'm asking for a fight. But I want the both of you to know that I don't like this idea."

"Then perhaps you should listen to that feeling, majesty," Gathan suggested.

"The Akaneans cannot take us to be that foolish," Zelda said quickly. "If this really is a trap, it's a blatant one. They know Marth is king now and they know that he is far wiser than that."

Marth sighed again, and after a few moments of silence in the room he glanced at Gathan. "Get my soldiers and the ships ready, and send a message back to Akanea to tell them that we're coming. We leave tomorrow."

Zelda turned away and smiled.

**-O-**

A few days later in the heat of the season, Link was up early and ready for work. Spring was quickly changing into summer, but the rains were still heavy and frequent and a semi-flood was not unusual, so Dorobis had given Link a shovel and assigned him to the job of digging a deep trench by the stable to keep the water from getting in. Link got up before dawn and mapped out in his head where the ditch would be, and began digging as the sun rose. Jennan and Matayo's tutor did not come in the warm weather, so it did not appear that anyone in the house was awake yet. Link was used to getting up every morning and tending to the horses, but today that would be only Artos' job, for Link had enough work to do with the trench.

It was hard work, but Link was used to that sort of thing. He had worked hard most of his life and it was certainly nothing new. As hard as he worked now he knew that it would only get more difficult when he and Jennan were on their own. He was sure that he could support her, but it would not be easy- he had adjusted to taking care of himself for a long time, but it might be different with someone else, especially a woman. Link and Rhashidi had traveled together for nearly two years, but they each had depended on their own selves and rarely assisted the other; when Link and Jennan got married, she would be depending on him rather than herself.

That was strange to say: _when they got married_. A year ago Link had never imagined that he would almost be engaged by now, for he had for a long time been a loner and had never really thought about settling down, even when he and Zelda had been together. He had loved Zelda deeply, but had never considered actually marrying her. It was a complicated thing, but with Jennan it seemed much more understandable, and he thought that maybe that was one of the reasons that the two of them worked out so well.

He jabbed the tip of the shovel into the dirt again. Since he was alone most of the time while working, it was the best time to think about things, which reminded him that soonly he had to buy a ring for Jennan. He would use the money that he had worked for and earned from Dorobis, because Hylian currency meant nothing here. Maybe he would not be able to afford gold and diamonds, but he planned to try hard to get Jennan the nicest ring he could find. Not only did he think she deserved it, but she would be wearing it for the rest of their lives, so Link would not rush to find it. But after he did was when he planned to ask her to marry him, which, if she said yes, would officially put their engagement into motion. It had been well known that they were a couple for a long time, but when they were engaged it would be written in stone.

Link's huge white hound Gelert came loping around the corner of the stable as Link stabbed the shovel into the ground again, and the dog's long tail began wagging hard when he laid eyes on his master. Link glanced up and patted his thigh, and the dog rushed over excitedly and thrust his thick muzzle into the young man's hand. As Link took a moment to scratch the hound's ears, he suddenly wondered if Rhashidi would come with him and Jennan when they moved away from the plantation; after all, the wolf-boy had been with Link for over the past two years and it would be strange to part company now, but there was the possibility that Jennan might say otherwise. Even yet, Rhashidi might decide to stay at the plantation of his own choosing; his bond and attachment to Memnet might be strong enough, but Link had never asked and would be left wondering until the time came to find out.

Gelert pulled away and continued around the stable to roam around freely as usual. Dorobis had once tried to keep the big hound tied by a chain, but Link had never done that to the dog and refused to begin, so Dorobis had given in. Now as he dug the trench he realized that though Dorobis had disliked him to the near point of hate before, things had managed to change, even if no one had really noticed it so far. Used to, the two of them had not been able to share company without getting into a verbal or physical battle (which the reason for this was simple, for back then Link had unwillingly been a slave to the man), but now they could actually converse with one another, which was a forced result of Link's stubborness to be with Jennan. Dorobis had finally realized that he was defeated in this situation- at last.

Which reminded Link of what was going on with Matayo and Ness. He had not been sure at first, but lately he had seen them sometimes, especially at night, meeting somewhere in the shadows when they thought everyone else wad asleep. Well, they did not need to worry if Link knew what was going on, because he knew how that was and would not let on even if he did not. He would tell Matayo that the secret was safe, for only Link and Jennan knew, and they had already been through the secrecy and stress- but they had got through it, and hopefully Matayo and Ness would as well.

Link was already beginning to sweat, even in the early morning sun, and threw off his hat onto the dirt beside him. He paused his digging for a moment and ran the back of his wrist over the wetness on his forehead, and pushed back his hair. As if on a strange cue, Jennan came out of the house with a glass cup in her hand, and when she spotted Link she came over quickly and handed him the glass.

"It's already warm out here," she said after bidding him good-morning, and then smiled sweetly. "I figured you'd need some water."

He was grateful, and drank half of the water with a nod to her, then dumped the rest right over his head and shoulders, and Jennan jumped back to avoid the flying drops and laughed. "I've got a hot summer to work through," Link said, spitting a drop from his mouth that had made its way inside. "But it'll be worth it when I get paid." He tilted his head down and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I've got things I need to buy."

Jennan nodded in agreement, but she was no doubt oblivious to what he really meant. She knew that they were going to get married, but she was not sure exactly when that would be, and Link thought that it would be pleasant to surprise her. His love for her made him want to get things for her that were not even necessary, just to see her pleasure. He had wanted to do that before but had never really had money until now, and it would be fun to get started. Jennan, that he knew of, did not like or dislike anything in particular; she did not collect anything either, but he knew her and could pick something out that she would like without even asking if she did or not.

"How does Father pay you?" she asked suddenly.

Link spit again. "By the hour. And more than I expected from him." In that day and age, it was not usually the woman's concern what kind of money her man made, and Link had heard the discrimination before, but he sure as heck would not treat Jennan that way.

"Good, as he should." Jennan's eyes were soft. "All you do is work, and without you he would have to do it himself. You deserve everything you make, and probably more."

He knew it was the truth, but it was not his way of thinking. He reached out and touched her hair gently, and her deep brown eyes seemed to shine as she looked up at him. He smiled his crooked grin at her (the grin was off even though his teeth had always been white and straight) and took his hand away from her to push back his wet hair. She was staring at him quite intently, and he had the sudden urge to kiss her; she seemed to realize this, for she reached for his dripping face gently, and he pulled her to his chest. They kissed long and hard and it was no telling what would have come of it had not Artos suddenly appeared around the corner and cleared his throat loudly.

"My goodness you two, you will be married soon enough," he scolded, but there was a hint of laughter in his voice as Link and Jennan pulled away from each other. Artos rolled his eyes slightly as he reached into a pocket inside his shirt, and after feeling around for a brief moment retrieved a folded letter and handed it to Link. "No one knows what it says, but it looks like Hylian writing to me."

It was. Link looked over the crease of the fold briefly and immediately recognized the official Altean seal, stamped with the king's own signet ring. He had heard of the death of the late king, which would mean, if he was right, that it would have been sealed directly by Zelda's husband the prince- now the king. Link slipped his finger into the crease and broke the seal. The outside of the pure-white paper had Hylian words that addressed the letter to Link himself, and even before he read it he had the feeling that it was from Zelda, and he was right. Jennan leaned against him and read what she could understand over his shoulder, and he licked his lips quickly and scanned over the one page with his eyes. From the quick reading that he did, he gathered that the two rival countries of Altea and Akanea were arranging peace talks, and the meeting place, for whatever reason, was Carrickfergus, and Zelda was informing him that nonchalantly that she might drop in. From a previous letter from Zelda, Link had discovered that her husband Marth was a short-tempered tyrant of a young man, and was quite used to having things his own way.

"It was from Zelda," Jennan said, more as a statement than a question. Link nodded and folded the letter again, and noticed that the water on his face and hair had suddenly turned cold. He did not think that Zelda and Jennan had anything against each other, but the two of them being together would put him a very uncomfortable position, and he was not sure how well he could handle that kind of pressure. "Is she coming here?" Jennan asked.

Link nodded again, but he did not yet tell her that it might not be as good of a thing as was expected.


	3. Chapter 3

**I noticed that I'm barely getting any reviews on this story; thanks to the people who did review, it was much appreciated. But all of you who didn't... when someone's story doesn't get reviewed, it discourages an author from writing. A lot of people said Bond or Free was really good and they couldn't wait for the sequel, but here it is and I don't know if hardly anybody's reading. So I'm just asking for some reviews, please.**

**-O-**

The next afternoon was bright and warm, but the wind was whipping quite violently and never ceasing to slightly alter to course of the ship- the king's ship, to be exact, one made of the finest heavy wood and engineered by only the best captain and servants. The Altean flag was raised to full height and moved in the wind as if it were a living thing, proud and flaunting its position as though it had knowledge of the powerful country and king it represented.

Marth had chosen the route to Carrickfergus by sea, rather than by land. The exact reason for this was not known, though Marth had told Zelda that it would give them an advantage if attacked, for the Akanean king and queen would probably be expecting them to come by land. And besides, Marth had said, if they wanted to engage in battle, the Altean chances would be higher at sea, for the country had always been known for its power in the water, which was more than even their strength on land. Zelda herself did not feel threatened or in danger, for she figured that the Akaneans were sincere at their quest for peace, and even if they were not, Altea was in the good and skilled hands of the young king Marth, who had already proved to be a great leader in battle while still a prince, and now that he was calling all of the shots it would likely only change for the better.

Zelda preferred to take most of the trip below deck in the royal dwelling where the sailing was more tolerable; she could hardly stand the swaying and lurching of the ship up down here, no less up another level. She did not dare make her complaints known to Marth, who had nearly refused to let her come in the first place, for she knew that even though they were out in the middle of the ocean he could still send her back to Altea, for the king's ship was flanked by various lesser ships of defense, and he could always put her on one of those and command her home. With his temper, she did not put it past him.

As she was down below in her dwelling, Marth was on the deck for some fresh air and to survey the work of his subjects. He also kept a sharp eye on the skies, for if any bad weather decided to come upon them, they would most certainly have to pull in the sails and anchor down immediately. He tilted his head down from the sky and spread out a wide map on the wooden railing of the ship, and he scanned over the route with his eyes and followed with his index finger until it reached the printed ink shores of Carrickfergus. They were sailing parallel to land, through the rest of Altea and then by Hyrule, and in a few days or so when the ship reached the land of Carrickfergus they would shore up and then ride by horseback to the destination that the peace talks were to take place. Marth still could not deny the sinking feeling that had nagged at him ever since he had received the letter from Akanea- a feeling of distrust of the situation and perhaps even dread. Zelda did not seem worried in the least, and Marth had almost not let her accompany him on the trip, but she could be nearly as stubborn as him and did not give up easily when she wanted something.

Marth was no fool; he knew the reason that made Zelda even want to come, and though he did not say so, it burned him up inside. He had never so much as laid eyes on Link, but he had a hatred for the young man that sometimes came to the point of driving him mad. He did not know if he considered it jealousy, though it was quite obvious that it was, because he knew that Zelda's love for Link was far greater than her love for him. Though Zelda had never said so, it was a very obvious thing to Marth. He could tell just by the way she went about things, as if he could just sense it, and nothing else. It never ceased to bother him, kind of like the old pain in his knee that was always there in the back of his mind, but he just did not know what he could do about it, if anything. He had known nothing about her personally when he asked for her hand- it had been strictly for the good of their two countries, but now after the months of being married to her his feelings had changed; perhaps not exactly yet love, but he of course had a protectiveness and even now a jealousy over her. He had never really been jealous before, for he had always gotten what he wanted, and he did not know how to deal with it yet, so as usual it seemed to come out in anger.

As he slowly folded up the map and leaned over with his arms on the rail, he realized that he had been in a deep state of depression ever since the war he had fought in so many months ago, and it had lasted until he had married Zelda. She had not known of his emotional condition, because somehow she had managed to bring him out of it, and probably without even trying. Marth appreciated her more than he had ever thought he would, and though she could be independent and stubborn, she was far more of a blessing than she had ever been a curse. But that did not mean that he was going to forget about the problem he might have to face; he was well aware that Zelda's strongest feelings were for this young man Link above anyone else. As long as it would go on, it would never stop driving him mad, and he knew that already.

One of the ship soldiers approached Marth and quickly bowed knee to him before rising and bowing in salute. "I am sure the king would like to know some information of our progress?"

Marth turned to him and said flatly, "Tell me."

The man bowed again slightly and continued. "The ship is to reach its destination of Carrickfergus after two moons. Does that please the king?"

Marth thought that was a stupid question, but it was customary and so he nodded. The soldier saluted and turned away on his heel to return to his business, and a sudden and very hard gust of sea wind tore through the air and rocked the ship quite violently on the waters, and Marth had to snatch the thick wooden rail just to keep his balance. The soldier was beside him in a second, but the wind seemed to be finished with its hard blowing for the moment.

"Your highness," the soldier said, "perhaps it is better for the king to remain below decks for now. There is a storm brewing and I do not wish any harm to the king."

Marth was quickly growing irritable, but he let the soldier escort him down below. The two of them parted company at the door of the royal chamber, and Marth went inside as soon as the guard bowed and opened the door for him. The ship rocked again suddenly, but not as hard this time, and Marth hastily went into the dwelling where Zelda sat at the ivory desk with a thick book in hand. She did not look up at him until he was inside and the door was closed, and then she gently closed her book and smiled slightly.

Marth was in a bad mood, as usual, and got right to the point of his coming down to the dwelling. "We should be in Carrickfergus in the next two days. Zelda, I know you're wanting to see this _friend_ of yours, but how do you know they're even going to accept us there?"

Zelda's small smile faded away in an instant, and her expression hardened. After a moment of silence between them, she answered coldly. "They will."

They continued to stare at one another until Zelda finally opened her book again and looked down. Though they were silent for now, Marth knew that the argument was not near over yet, and he also knew that it was going to be a very long two days.

**-O-**

Link sat outside against the stable wall and was polishing a leather harness when Artos approached him with hands in pockets, trying to avoid the mounds of dirt on the edges of the trench. Link had done the whole thing by himself and was nearly finished, but Dorobis had wanted his horse's tack polished and in the best condition, so the young man was glad to take a break and do something else for awhile.

"This trench is looking good," Artos said when he reached the Hylian, and sat himself down in the grass.

Link had taken off his gloves to get a better hold on the harness, and he glanced down at the blisters on the palm of his hand, which had worked their way bloody from his firm grip on the shovel for the past few days. He gently curled his hand into a fist so Artos could not see and got back to work on the harness. "Ground's tough," he said. "The digging's not easy."

"I know," Artos replied dully. "Master Dorobis 'requested' that I help you."

Link glanced at him quickly. It was one thing to be paid for the work, but he had nearly forgotten that Artos was still a slave and had to obey Dorobis' every whim and fancy to avoid the whip. Link had never feared a whipping- all it had really done was set him off and make him angry, but he knew that Artos was of a different personality and was not nearly as head-strong; much more easily beaten down and discouraged.

Artos locked his hands around his updrawn knees and squinted up at the sky. "Link," he said slowly, "tell me. What is it like to be free? I was free when I was a small boy, but have quite forgotten the feeling of it. Will you tell me?"

Link was caught off guard with the question and froze in mid-move, his eyes shifting over to his expectant friend, and swallowed hard in an effort to think of a reply. Link had always, _always_had an unexplainable problem with phrasing his words the right way, which was why he was more accustomed and more comfortable with actions, but he knew that sometimes he would just have to talk to express himself; Artos was waiting for an answer, but Link did not know what to say. He had been very grateful when Jennan and Zelda had arranged for his freedom from Dorobis, but he had to admit that perhaps he had started to take if for granted after awhile, and did not much remember that Artos was still in subjection to the man. He immediately felt a stab of guilt and ground his teeth slowly together in a tight-lipped closed mouth.

"Artos, I don't know," he said bluntly, and set the harness down on the grass.

Artos pulled an apple from his jacket pocket, polished the red peel with his shirt, and bit into it with a crunch. "You don't know or you just don't know how to say it?"

Link looked at him with a slightly open mouth, and let out a breath quickly. Apparently Artos knew him pretty well. Link ran his fingers through his thick hair and shrugged in response to his friend's last question, for he did not know what else to do. He was very grateful for his freedom and it was something to be enjoyed, but to say so would sound too much like flaunting it to his slave friend, but to say it made no difference would be a lie; so he was stuck, and Artos knew it. Link took a breath to begin another sentence, but just as he did there came from the woods a deep and angry howl, one so intense that it could nearly make one's hair stand on end. Link and Artos shared a quick glance -they knew it was Rhashidi and that something was wrong- and both jumped up at the same time, Artos tossing the apple core to the side and Link dropping the harness and grabbing his sword from its place leaning against the outside stable wall, and they hastily made their way into the woods.

After a few seconds of the quick pace, they stopped under a canopy of trees and listened. Link held his breath and his sensitive ears caught the sound of what seemed like a growling and screaming battle just over the next hill. He waved Artos forward, and the two of them continued on quickly as the vicious noises of the scuffle died down and then abruptly stopped. Over the few years that Link had known Rhashidi, he had learned to trust the wolf-boy's judgment, and the two of them had always come to one another's aid when it was needed- Link could not count the times that Rhashidi had thrown himself into danger for his friend, and he was not afraid to do the same in return. There was no telling what was going to be over the next hill, but danger or not, he was going in head-first.

Artos was over the tall hill before Link, but the latter was close behind. The scene that had taken place in the small clearing ahead had evidently consisted of some sort of battle a short time ago, but at the moment the only sign of life was Rhashidi, and the wolf-boy was just rising from the ground as if he had been there unwillingly. Link came upon him quickly and caught him by the shoulder with a split second of caution before actually touching him (Rhashidi was known for acting before he thought, and Link was not willing to take a bite from those powerful jaws) and turned him around to get a good look at him. Blood ran in thick lines over his bare shoulders and back, his dark brown hair was tousled and his eyes wild and unfocused. Artos stood back to keep his distance from the boy, but Link leaned in closer to Rhashidi and gave him a gentle shake until he managed to focus briefly.

"Rhashidi, what happened?" Link pressed urgently, but the boy was so worked up and on edge that he seemed nearly disoriented and was quivering slightly. Link gave him another shake and asked again, but just as he did he heard someone approaching through the woods at a quick pace, and he glanced over his shoulder from the tense Rhashidi and saw that it was an alarmed and worried Mement.

She was upon them suddenly, and slipped through quickly around Link and Artos, and found her way hastily to Rhashidi. Link let go of him and stepped back out of her way, and she took the wolf-boy's big hands in her small ones and looked directly into his eyes. Link was surprised at the height of Memnet's worry and that Rhashidi was responding to her; always before it had been only himself who could communicate like that with the boy, but it was not jealousy he was feeling- there was no time or reason for that- it was just plain surprise and that was all.

Memnet, still holding onto Rhashidi's hands, sank down slowly until he mirrored her movements and they were both on their knees in front of one another in the grass and nettle. His head was tilted low as she leaned close to him and began talking in a low murmur, and every now and then he would nod or answer quietly, the both of their voices too low for anyone else to hear. Link and Artos shared an uneasy and confused glance, but it seemed as if Memnet knew what she was doing. After a moment she pushed back the hair from Rhashidi's eyes and stood up.

She noticed the questioning looks from the other two young men and turned to them. "He was attacked by a wolf pack. It was sudden and caught him off guard." She lowered her voice. "I suppose that's why he's so shaken."

"Attacked by a wolf pack in broad daylight, Miss Memnet?" Artos questioned doubtfully, motioning to the bright sky to make his meaning more clear.

She glared at him and then turned to Rhashidi and gently helped the wolf-boy up from the ground. "If he says it happened," she said firmly, "then it happened. I'm taking him to Ima so she can salve his wounds. Artos, go tell Father what just happened. Link, will you bring the horses in from the pasture and lock them into the stable?"

Link nodded to to her, and as Artos hurried off through the woods towards Dorobis' dwelling, he held up a hand to pause Memnet for a moment. "Rhashidi's going to be fine," he said in a low voice, and noticed that Memnet's arm was around the wolf-boy's shoulders. "But I want to know what Dorobis is gonna do about this."

As she gently faced Rhashidi towards the direction of the clearing and the house, she looked back at Link. "We'll find out. Right now I just want to get Rhashidi some help."

Link was slightly taken aback at the way she snapped at him, for it was not entirely like her, but he knew that that was the least of his worries at the moment. Those wolves that had attacked Rhashidi were obviously somewhere still in the area, and that meant the horses could be in danger, so he headed off quickly to the pasture, which stretched out in a wide area behind the house. He came to the side of the fence and hoisted himself up and over in one smooth motion, in a hurry because there was no telling where the wolves were now and what exactly their status was; they could be rabid for all anyone knew, and if that was the case, Rhashidi was in trouble. The thought of that brought a new stab of fear into Link for Rhashidi, and for some reason made him worry for Jennan. Suddenly she was the only thing on his mind and her safety was his first concern.

Thankfully there was only one horse in the pasture today, but unfortunately that horse was Night Rider. A massive black stallion, the horse had been completely wild when Dorobis had first purchased him so many months ago, and it had been Link's job to break the unruly mustang, and what a difficult and long job that had been, but he had gotten it done eventually. Link was about the only one who could safely mount and control Night Rider, and even now the horse was still very skittish and would sometimes even buck or shy, which was why Link was so cautious at the moment. He kept his movements slow and his voice soft as he talked in Hylian, and the horse's ears pricked up at the sight of the young man. Link kept his eyes on Night Rider as he came forward carefully; he could tell just by looking that the horse knew of the wolves' presence and had already been spooked and was on edge.

"Easy," Link said gently, extending his left hand slowly. He walked softly, approaching the horse from the side, gentle but also very much on guard. One had to be careful when dealing with a spooked horse, especially this one. Night Rider had kicked Dorobis before and had actually broken the man's ribs, and Link did not want the same. As a wrangler he had been kicked by a variety of things many times before, but the size and strength of this stallion alone was enough to really hurt him, and this moment was a bad time for that.

Muttering a few more soft Hylian words, Link was now close enough to touch the horse. When his fingers brushed the shining black shoulder, Night Rider jumped slightly and shied away. Link stepped forward again slowly with his hand still extended, and though the horse's eyes were wide and wild, he did not have time for this. He decided to take the chance of being kicked and slid his hand into the bridle, which caused an immediate reaction from Night Rider. The horse reared up the second he was touched; when this happened it was the way of some people to bring a smashing blow between the ears of their horse to bring them back down to the earth, but in the split second he had to think, Link barely even considered it and could not bring himself to do it anyhow. Instead he quickly seized the bridle with his right hand as well and summoned all the strength he had to pull Night Rider back down and get him under control. Thankfully, it worked on the first try, and when the massive front hooves smashed to the ground, Night Rider let out a huge breath through his nose, and with ears laid back, at least stood still.

"That's better," Link said softly, panting slightly from the effort of a few seconds ago. He ran his hand down the sleek black neck; Night Rider was not calm, but at least he was under control. Link turned, facing the back of the house ahead, but keeping a close eye on the horse. He took a step and gave a gentle tug to convince Night Rider to follow; the walk across the pasture to the gate was not a long one, but at the moment it seemed to be taking forever. Once or twice the huge stallion resisted and threatened to shy again, but Link finally managed to get him through the gate and up the trail to the stable. Fortunately one of the wide double-doors was already open, so he took the horse right in and directly into a free stall.

Link's mare Epona pricked up her ears when she saw him and stretched out her neck over the stall door as if to reach him, and after he got Night Rider safely locked away, Link went to Epona. She seemed calm enough, but just as he reached to touch her, he heard a long and sorrowful wolf howl that echoed down throughout the valley and over the whole plantation. Link froze in mid-move, and felt his heart unwillingly skip a beat.

These wolves were for some reason persistent; if they had gotten into a battle with Rhashidi and were still hanging around, something was wrong. Link turned from Epona, leaving the stable in a rush, and practially ran to the house. When he got there he clamored up onto the porch loudly; he felt there as no need to knock on the door and instead just threw it open. He stood in the open doorway, his chest rising and falling hard with the effort of his breaths, and Ima and Memnet were in the kitchen with Rhashidi between them, bent over forward in a chair as they salved his wounds, and the two women looked up at Link blankly. As he stood there silently, he suddenly felt quite foolish- Jennan was in no immediate danger and here he had just burst in as if she were being attacked and was calling for him.

"What happened, Link?" Ima asked, a note of sharp worry in her voice. She stepped away from Rhashidi and looked up and met Link's eyes insistently. He swallowed and shook his head slightly to tell her that it was nothing.

"Where's Jennan?"

Ima took a roll of white bandages from the table and began to unroll slowly. "In her room. She's been waiting for you all morning."

Link turned from the old woman and began to head for the stairs, but he had barely ascended two steps when the front door to the house swung open and Artos leaned in slighty to inform Link that Dorobis wanted to speak with him. Link felt a flicker of annoyance -he wanted to see Jennan today without interruption- but crossed back through the kitchen. He paused at the open door and glanced back to Ima.

"How's Rhashidi?"

Ima lowered herself down to her knees and commenced to wrapping Rhashidi's sliced up lower arm with a ring of bandage. "He'll mend, but it might take awhile. These wounds are deep." There was a noticeable shadow of pain that flashed over Memnet's eyes when this was said, and directly after Link sensed a stiffening of Artos, as if he had noticed as well, and Link then realized that there was something going on here; he had been aware of it before, but obviously it was much stronger than he had thought. He might ask about it later.

Link did a double-check to make sure his sword was in its sheath on his back as he and Artos made their way through the woods to Dorobis' dwelling. It was a place Link had been inside only once or twice during the whole year and more that he had been on the plantation, and those few times had not been by invitation, so this was a new thing. Artos, on the other hand, had been Dorobis' slave for most of his life and therefore had probably been in the small structure many times. Link kept an eye and ear out for wolves on the way, but they reached the dwelling fairly quickly.

Artos looked over his shoulder at the woods around him and then knocked on the door. Dorobis said something from inside, and as if it were some sort of secret cue, Artos opened the door and went in. Link, slightly uncomfortable and unsure what to do, stood on the threshold hesitantly until Dorobis looked up from his desk at him and waved him inside.

"Come in, Link," he said, his voice friendly but quite stiff as well. There had always been a severe disliking between the two of them, for obvious reasons because it was Dorobis who had forced Link to be his slave. But even now when Link was officially free and nothing but an employee to the man, the air was always thick with tension when the both of them were together. They knew they must tolerate one another, for not only were they in business together, but Link was soon to be Dorobis' son-in-law, and it would be to the Hylian young man that Dorobis would give away his daughter as a bride, and the marriage was going to be too strong a connection to remain at each other's throats forever.

"Master Dorobis, do you want me to leave you alone?" Artos asked quietly.

Dorobis glanced up from the paper on the desk and picked up a feather pen. "No, just stand somewhere until I call for you." Link felt himself bristle at the tone of the man's voice but did not speak. As Artos went to stand in the far corner obediently, Dorobis began writing slowly on the white paper in front of him. Link shifted his weight uncomfortably and glanced about the room a little, listening closely for any sounds of the wolves outside. A few moments of awkward silence passed before Dorobis finally put his pen down and looked up to meet Link's eyes. "Artos tells me of a wolf pack on the plantation. They attacked someone, he says?"

"Yes, sir. Rhashidi."

Dorobis was quiet for a moment. Rhashidi was another one that he had a disliking for -it seemed that he had something against anyone that had something to do with Link- but he was well aware of how useful the wolf-boy actually was and thus could not really say anything against him. "I see." Then he said something quite surprising. "Is he wounded?"

Link was caught of guard with the question but replied, "He'll be all right."

Dorobis nodded and folded his arms on the table, then reached up and stroked his beard. "I don't want these wolves anywhere near the house or the stable. If they will attack your friend, they might have the mind to attack anything that moves. Link, I want you to take that white hound of yours and stand on guard tonight. The clearing in the woods behind the pasture seems like a suitable place to me." His mouth turned into a tight line. "But it is strictly a business deal, for you will be paid. Do you agree?"

Link nodded once. It sounded fair enough.

"Now Jennan tells me that you are an animal lover, but if those wolves get in your sights, I want them dead. Do you understand?"

What Jennan had told Dorobis was true; Link had always had a soft spot and connection with animals, and to think of killing one, especially a wolf, pained him. He had had experiences before that made him wonder if somehow he could communicate instead of immediately resorting to killing them. But that was something Dorobis did not know about, and Link was not comfortable with telling him, so he decided that he would just take matters into his own hands if he had to. Besides, if he had to do any killing he would remind himself that it was for Jennan's, and everyone else's, safety and nothing else. He nodded in agreement with Dorobis.

"The bow and arrows on the stable wall -I'm sure you've seen them- you have my permission to use. I know you're quite something of an archer, and I'm sure you're aim is probably a lot better than your speech."

Link's eyebrows raised quickly in surprise at the sudden insult and he looked back and forth to the man's eyes in question, but just as he did this the door to the bedroom part of the dwelling opened and, surprisingly, the woman Dorobis had been courting for awhile came out and then stopped in the doorway, looking from Link to Artos and seeming confused. Dorobis looked back over his shoulder and saw her, then flushed quite blatantly.

"Phoebe," he said, trying to regain his composure. "I'm sure you remember Link, yes?"

Link and Artos shared a glance, both of them confused at what exactly was going on here, but then the woman flipped back her long wavy blonde hair and said in reply to Dorobis' answer, "Of course I remember. The young man with the wild blue eyes who doesn't know his manners. How could I forget?"

Link was unsure whether she was complimenting or insulting him, as Dorobis had blatantly done, but regardless he nodded once at her. It was a man's greeting, but he did not dare shake her hand; the last time he had done that she had acted offended, and it was completely out of his nature to kiss her hand. She looked down her nose at him laid her hands on Dorobis' shoulders, and for some reason Link took that as a signal for him to go. He shifted his gaze over to Artos, and after an exchanged nod, Link left the dwelling and went reluctantly to get the bow from the stable.

**-O-**

Marth woke up in the night to the hard swaying and lurching of the ship. He made his way carefully over the sleeping Zelda, got dressed quickly, and looked out the dark window. Lightning flashed intensely outside, and the waves were churned hard by the wind, which was obviously the reason why the ship was being tossed about. He pulled his cloak over his shoulders and snapped it loosely around his neck, glanced once more out the window, and then quietly opened the heavy door to the dwelling. The young soldier that was posted directly outside the door bowed when he saw his king, but Marth walked past him quite hastily and quickly ascended the steps that led to the deck.

He was immediately showered in a hard spray of rain that caught him off guard and nearly drove him back down the stairs. He put up a gloved hand to shield his eyes and braced himself against the violent wind. There was a commotion of voices, loud but nearly unhearable over the storm, and Marth went towards them. A thunderbolt so loud it could nearkt hurt one's teeth seemed to split the sky, and there was a cry from the ship's crew. The young king, angry at his men and even at the very storm itself, managed to gain his balance on the deck and finally made it to the captain's deck.

"Pull in the sails!" he commanded, and at first the captain just glanced at him and then turned away again, but then the man realized who was talking to him and quickly bowed, then caught himself on the railing before he lost his balance.

"Your majesty," he said breathlessly. They were hit with another hard spray of water and afterwards Marth felt half drowned. "Yes sir, right away." The captain raised a hand to catch the attention of the other shipmates and then slowly waved a signal to them, which someone happen to see and then a few moments later the sails were taken down. Marth wondered why it had not be done before; maybe the crew had just been waiting for the king's word- it was the only thing that made sense.

"How far is our position from the destination?" Marth yelled.

"If it weren't for the storm, your majesty, we could reach shores by morning," the captain yelled back. "But by the time this is over, who knows where we will end up."

It was one of the last things Marth had wanted to hear, and he opened his mouth to say so but was completely drowned out by another huge gust of wind that brought a wave of water onto the deck of the ship. Summer was coming on quickly, but the night water was freezing cold and chilled him through. He spit out a mouthful of salt water and hoped that the Falchion sword that was against his thigh would not be rusted by the time he took it out of the sheath and it had a chance to dry out. He tried to catch his breath through the wind and water and knew that the ship would never reach Carrickfergus if he did not take full control.

He did not even want to think about the large chance of sinking and all of them being laid to rest on the ocean floor.


	4. Chapter 4

It was deep in the middle of a very cloudy night with no light at all from the moon on the first night of Link's long watch. Since his post had been set down into the woods in a small clearing even far behind the pasture, it was a lonely and nerve-racking job that could easily keep one on edge, but nevertheless Link was dead tired from having been awake since before dawn that morning. His eyes burned with fatigue and he had to fight to keep from falling asleep right there on the fallen log he had sat himself down on earlier in the night. His huge white hound Gelert was lying down in the grass beside him, his head on his paws but his ears pricked up to stay alert, as if he knew and was actually aware of what was going on.

Link had not seen or heard any signs of the wolves so far, but then again it was difficult to see anything in the darkness. In the distant eastern sky, off towards the ocean, every now and then the flash of far-off lightning silhouetted the trees of the woods. The heavy bow that Link gripped lightly and rested on the ground was ready to be equipped with an arrow and shot any moment, and he was trying hard to stay very aware of his surroundings, but he had gotten up early that morning, worked hard all day, and was now more than likely going to spend all of this night awake and outside.

He told himself not to think about it that way; rather he should consider it as an act to protect his friends, because in reality that was what it was all about. He still had the slight feeling that Dorobis had chosen him to be on guard just for the single reason of putting him in the way of danger, which of course Link was used to it and had faced worse before, but perhaps the old feud between the two of them would never really diminish. Link could almost understand that- if some young guy had come along and had been messing around with his daughter, somebody might have died; but it was much more complicated than that, for Dorobis had hated him at first sight. If anyone should be the one hating, it should have been Link because Dorobis had made him a slave, but for some reason he did not hate the man; maybe it was just not his way, and maybe that was because he was chosen by the goddesses and marked with the Triforce. If he had been any different, he would not have been able to touch the Master Sword in the first place.

It was all a very complicated story that for some reason Link found himself thinking about and could not figure out how he had gotten to doing that, and he rubbed his eyes hard to clear his head and then lowered his hands and squinted slightly at the sky. It seemed as if the storm off in the distance was becoming more intense, and that meant it might begin raining right on top of him. That would really make his night even worse than it already was, for he was not permitted or was allowing himself to turn in just because of the weather. The plantation needed to be protected right now, for there was not telling what the wolves would do if they were not prevented. No doubt Rhashidi as well was out prowling around in the darkness, probably against Memnet's will, guarding the land and its inhabitants within carefully and with his very life if it came down to it. Link would have sat out here on guard willingly without the word from Dorobis, but his fatigue at the moment was almost defeating the purpose, for this had all come on so suddenly and without warning so that he had had no time to prepare himself and catch up on the much needed sleep.

He slowly pushed himself up from the log, bow in hand and sword in its sheath on his back, and slowly began walking around the edges of the clearing with Gelert close behind. He took his time but was completely aware of everything around him, keeping a close eye on the dark shadows and his ears intently concentrated on any unusual sound. Gelert did not seem to be on edge, and Link took this as a good sign; he trusted an animal's senses almost more than he trusted his own, but that did not mean he could let his guard down. If those wolves were strange enough to attack Rhashidi, then no doubt they would attack him without hesitation.

The moon was nowhere in sight, but Link could tell that it was very late in the night. He was so far back in the woods that he could not see the house but he knew that all things were still and everyone was probably asleep. Artos had been put in charge of the stable since Link was not available for it, and though the former knew very much about horses and was well capable of caring for them, Link would have felt better if he could have done it himself like he did every day; but he had to forget that and concentrate on the more important task at hand.

Link was walking slowly around the clearing mainly to keep himself awake. He would not have been so tired had he not gotten up so early and worked so hard during the day, and he knew what it meant to go without rest and the difficulty of keeping his guard up while so fatigued, but sometimes that was just unavoidable.

He was still convinced that Dorobis had put him and no one else on guard because of the ill feelings between the two of them, and there was no doubt why. From all the things Jennan had told Link, she and her father had never really had that good of a relationship in the first place, so Link was a bit confused as to why Dorobis was so jealous. It was not an unusual thing for a father to envy the connection between his daughter and her lover, but Dorobis seemed to have taken it to a new level. Link sometimes wondered if his Hylian race had anything to do with it, for men of the day were often racist, and Dorobis certainly seemed like the type to share that view. Link suspected that these feelings might even intensify once Jennan was given to him in marriage, which reminded him of the need to buy a ring and finally asking Jennan directly to be his bride. They had been close in more ways than one over the past year, but even the thought of asking her made him nervous, mainly because of his inability to phrase his words the right way. Well, Jennan had not seemed to mind or hardly even notice that fact and probably would not start now.

Link was brought back to the present by a sudden hair-raising howl that seemed to stab through the darkness. Gelert went tense as he began growling, as if he knew the danger of a wolf pack; Link quickly nocked an arrow to the bow and took aim to where he thought the pack might be. He was well aware of how fast a wolf was capable of moving and how soon they could be upon him, but he knew that somehow he must be faster. He was nearly an expert archer and could reload the bow as soon as the first arrow was gone, but if the pack was too large then that would not do much to help him, and he knew that he might have to resort to drawing his blade just to hold his own, and he fell into a realization that he was in severe danger.

He pulled back hard on the bowstring, repositioned his aim, and waited.

**-O-**

Zelda felt the unusual rocking of the ship and slowly roused herself out of bed. She saw that Marth was not in the room with her, and then she noticed that there were various yelling voices coming from the top deck. Unaware of exactly how bad the storm was, she got dressed and left the room. The guard outside of the royal dwelling bowed to her but then held out a hand to stop her.

Zelda looked at him, still under the confusion of sleep, and said, "What's going on?"

"Your highness," the guard replied, lowering his hand, "I would advise the queen not to go to the deck. There is a horrible storm that is threatening to..." For some reason he was hesitant to finish his sentence, and the alarm of that quickly awakened Zelda.

"Is threatening to what?"

The man frowned. "His majesty the king has expressed concern of the sinking of the ship, my lady."

Zelda's heart skipped a beat and her breath sucked in involuntarily- she knew Marth well enough to know that his judgment was usually accurate, and in this case that worried her. "We might possibly be sinking? How far are we from land?"

The guard shook his head, which showed the obvious fact that it was hopeless to even think on it; if the ship went down, it meant the probable death of all of them. Zelda's hand naturally went to her stomach, and her head swirled with thoughts of dying at such a young age, her and Marth and their baby as well- which meant that there would be no heir to the throne and war would break out in Altea to find a successor, and she was losing her breath over the thought of all of it when the guard went as far as to put a hand on her shoulder.

"It will be all right, my queen," he said, but just as the words were out of his mouth the ship rocked quite violently and the two of them were thrown into the nearest wall one after another. The guard tried to catch her to break her fall but only ended up smashing into her, and the ship then quickly tilted the other way and sent them sliding back across the hall. When they got a chance to briefly catch their breath, the guard planted himself on the floor, dropped his spear, and firmly took hold around Zelda's waist to keep her upright. She naturally held onto him as the ship dipped and swayed, and suddenly the voices on deck intensified and she recognized Marth yelling out commands. She noticed the sharp tenseness in his voice that shook her a little; if Marth was worried, it was good reason for everyone else to be worried.

Usually it was a severe crime to lay one's hands on the queen, but in this case that rule was excused- Zelda was glad to have someone to hang onto. She gripped the man's shoulders and looked up the stairs into the swirling water and darkness above, where Marth was yelling orders that she could not hear and was doing his best to gain control of the situation. An huge wave suddenly smashed into the west side of the ship, and when it tipped over dramatically to the right, Marth was thrown backwards and smashed into the railing, latching on with his hands just in time and narrowly dodging being tossed overboard into the churning sea. Zelda caught only a glimpse of it from below, and after the guard got her steady, had lost sight of her young husband and had a stabbing fear that he had went over.

On deck, Marth was unaware that Zelda had even been watching him, and when the ship went on the rebound from its last dangerous tip over, he had no choice but to let go of the rail and go sliding to the middle of the ship. One of his bodyguards, Deirin, was there to catch him, and as the ship lurched in a natural attempt to right itself, a massive flood of water spilled over and washed across the deck, and even made its way down below. An enormous gust of wind followed after and hit the ship with such force that Marth and his bodyguard were slammed painfully to the deck; sails were ripped and torn apart, and then wooden pieces of the ship were literally blown off, but that was not yet the worst of it. The vicious wind then blew through so hard that there was a sudden ear-splitting crack that was equivalent to the explosion of the thunderbolts around them, and the wooden masts split in the middle and stood still for just a moment, then came crashing down. In the split second that he had to move, Marth looked up through his wet bangs and when he saw what was happening felt a stab of fear, but when he tried to move, his bad knee gave out and he was left crouching on the wet deck. At the last second, Deirin became aware of what was going to happen and grabbed Marth by the back of the cloak and pulled him away, just in time for the wooden structure to come crashing down right where the young king had been on the deck.

It took Marth a moment to gather himself and catch his breath after that close shave, but his bodyguard was hustling him along without hardly a pause, and Marth felt himself swallowing more water than air and followed blindly mostly on his knees. It was hard to move with the ship rolling under them, and Deirin stopped and yelled something while pointing towards the furious sky, but what he said was inaudible and Marth yelled at him to repeat himself.

"...Need to... belowdecks, majesty... can handle it!"

Marth scowled at the idea and was hit and silenced with another hard spray of water before he could reply. "I'm staying on deck!" he yelled forcefully. "The crew can't handle themselves without me!"

Deirin shrugged as if to say that that was all too bad, and pointed towards the open door that led downwards into the ship, and Marth shook his head stubbornly. He carefully but firmly grabbed onto the wet railing and pulled himself up, and as he was facing the raging sky and waters, he froze for a moment and finally realized exactly what a bad situation they were in and was genuinely afraid.- for the first time since the beginning of the storm he realized that they all might die tonight.

**-O-**

Link stood motionless with concentration and had closed one eye to keep his aim steady at the end of the arrow. He did not realize he was holding his breath until Gelert exploded into a savage growl and bounded right up to the edge of the thicket with his thin white hair bristled all over the back of his neck and shoulders. Link lowered the tightened bow only slightly and called Gelert back with a sharp Hylian word, and hesitantly the huge hound returned to his master's side. There was movement in the dark and the unmistakable growls and breaths of a wolf- this Link could recognize without question, and his heart was pounding with the anticipation of what he was going to have to do.

Gelert was shaking against Link's thigh and was vibrating with the rumbling of his vicious snarls, and as the wolves got closer it seemed as if the air was being sucked away. Link had faced very many dangers before and this was nothing new, but there was something ominous about how persistent the wolf pack was, and though he was not afraid, there was no doubt a small nervous feeling that he could not entirely ignore.

A startling howl suddenly filled the air, and it was close. Gelert stiffened again and barked angrily in reply, and somewhere across the plantation Rhashidi was no doubt on edge or even perhaps on his way over to assist; that boy was so loyal and unafraid that sometimes even Link, courageous as he was, had to marvel at it all, but he was sure grateful to have a close friend like that.

Link's concentration must have been broken somehow, for before he could even blink there was a dark grey streak suddenly flying through the air straight at him, a white shine of deadly fangs gleaming, and Link's heart skipped a beat in surprise but he let the arrow fly. The attacking wolf was hit directly and went down to the ground hard, and was dead nearly instantly. Link loaded the bow again as quick as his unsteady hands would allow him, but just as he raised the weapon to a horizontal position, he was hit from behind with such force and weight that he was smashed to the ground and the bow was sent flying a few yards away. The breath was knocked from him immediately and he naturally tried to roll over and face his attacker, but the weight on his back was more than he had expected and it took him two tries just to get turned over, but when he did a huge mouth full of fangs went for his face and he barely got his arm up in time to protect himself, and the powerful jaws closed around his forearm.

Thankfully his leather arm-guard was there to block the attack, but the wolf that had jumped him was growling and chewing down hard, but what scared Link the most was the thin white foam that was covering the wolf's jaws and now his arm, and he brought his other hand in for a hook-punch that caught the predator right below the ear. The growl only intensified and the jaws tightened, and Link was moving in for another punch when Gelert threw himself into the scuffle with a furious growl, and the two animals fell to the ground and locked into an terrible battle of fangs.

Link was up on his feet in a heartbeat and drew his sword from its sheath, an action so familiar that he hardly thought about it, and rushed over to the battling canines. He could not get in a good strike without harming Gelert, but if the wolf was rabid it would only be a matter of time anyway... There was not much he could do with the situation if he did not want to kill his own dog, but he could not stand to just stand back and watch. For a very short amount of time the battle paused, and Link made his move and snatched Gelert firmly by the collar with his right hand, and with his left he moved in at the wolf and landed the deadly strike with his sword that always killed on the first swing.

Two wolves were dead, but what about the rest? Link wanted to check over Gelert, but there was no telling how many more members of the pack were getting ready to attack- if two would do it, then no doubt the rest would, and if some were rabid that meant the whole pack was as well, and that was a serious danger that could in no matter be ignored. He had heard of people dying of that disease, and the details were certainly not pretty. Rhashidi had been bitten and so had Gelert; Link would have if it had not been for his arm-guard, and if the wolves had the disease then that meant the wolf-boy and the dog were already infected, and though he wasn't sure, Link did not think that there was anything that could be done for it after that stage.

There was a flash of yellow glowing eyes in the dark weeds, and Link, still holding onto Gelert's collar, located his bow a few feet away in the grass when a flash of lightning lit the area. The unused arrow was nowhere in sight but he sheathed his sword and picked up the bow, and wished that Gelert was not there with him so he could deal with the situation better; it was going to be difficult if he had to hold back the dog the whole time, but he did not want to abandon his post to take Gelert back to the stable.

Thunder rumbled over the valley, but somehow through that Link heard -or rather sensed- a movement behind him and as he whirled to face it one of the wolves launched an attack from behind and smashed into his back, and he felt fangs tearing into his shoulder as he fell face-first to the ground under the weight. His grip on Gelert was knocked away, but for a moment he did not notice anything but the searing pain that numbed his whole left arm and that made his breath suck in hard and his eyes water; the wolf's jaws shifted their grip and latched on again, but this time the fangs were biting into the leather strap of the sheath on his back and it gave Link a chance to move. His pain had turned into a defensive anger and he reached back with both hands and latched onto the scruff of the animal's neck, and a short struggle followed; the wolf was strong, but it was no match for Link at full strength. It was slammed roughly to the ground, and Link twisted around and straddled the struggling wolf, pinning it down with his weight. He unsheathed his sword with a quick metallic sound, and though it pained him to do so, he gripped the blue hilt firmly and stabbed downward one, two, three times before standing up and stumbling backwards. Gelert was crouched back against a nearby fallen log, growling softly, and then somehow without really knowing, Link knew that there were no more left to the wolf pack.

The adrenaline that had been fueling his actions suddenly vanished, and Link laid back hard in the grass, panting and staring up at the dark cloud-covered sky. It began raining softly, and he pushed his sweaty hair back from his forehead and closed his eyes, the bloody sword still clutched in his left hand tightly. Gelert crawled over to him and sniffed over his master's chest and face as if checking to see if he was all right, and Link reached up and laid his hand on the back of the dog's neck to reassure him, but he made no attempt to get up yet. All was silent now, except for the rumble of thunder, and Link realized that he had to do some quick thinking. Had those wolves been rabid, and there was still a chance that they were not, then that meant Gelert, Rhashidi, and himself were infected, for they had all been bitten, and rabies was of course spread by the saliva of the carrier. After all of the danger he had faced, it was hard for him to imagine in the end dying of an incurable disease. For a moment he pictured what that would be like for Jennan, him dying such a slow and agonizing death... he did not think of the pain for himself, just for her. He was unsure if it would do any good, but he had the sudden thought to get to Ima and see what she could do for him.

He got up slowly and painfully, quite aware of the blood seeping from his shoulder, and groggily urged Gelert to follow him, but the dog laid down and seemed to be almost frozen. Link semi-consciously dragged the bottom of his tunic over the blade of the Master Sword to clean away the blood and slid it into its sheath before leaning down to the hound and trying to coax him on further, but when there were no signs of obeying, Link slid his arms under the huge shaking body and proceeded to carry the dog limply back towards the house. The gory bodies of the wolves were eerie in the darkness, but Link ignored them and tried to focus his concentration on supporting Gelert's heavy weight with his weak arms, most of his strength being drained away when the last wolf was dead.

The rain began to come down harder, and the walk back was a slow and long one, but at last he saw the pasture and the house up ahead, and it seemed all he could do to push on. Gelert was surprisingly still, besides his shaking, but Link's arms were getting tired from supporting his weight, and he was relieved when he finally reached the house. He laid Gelert down gently on the porch, and the dog backed up against the outside wall and whimpered, but instead of using the front door Link went back around to the side of the house and hesitated at Ima's dwelling before drumming the side of his fist into the door. The only sound in reply was the wind and a few hard raindrops hitting the roof, so he waited a moment and then knocked again, harder this time. Finally there were quick footsteps across the floor inside and then the door opened, and Ima stood in the threshold with a lantern in one hand and the other pulling on a thin robe.

She held the lantern out and looked him over quickly. "Link, dear, are you all right?"

"I'm hoping you can tell me." He came inside after she stepped back and wave him forward, and she quickly closed the door behind him just as a thick spray of rain tried to make its way in. She beckoned him to sit down as she lit another lantern, and he slowly eased himself down on the unmade bed. It brought back memories for him, for he had been doctored by one of the women in this very spot more than once, but what it reminded him of the most was when Dorobis had given him a whipping so long ago and Ima's dwelling was where he had awakened after passing out from fatigue. But these memories were faint in the back of his mind, for his present fatigue and pain was blocking out most other thoughts, and when Ima said something to him he had to ask her to repeat herself.

"You're bleeding," she said again, pointing to his shoulder. "You were attacked, weren't you?"

He nodded and unbuckled the sheath's strap and let the whole thing slide down to the floor, then carefully pulled off his tunic. "Two of them. They're dead now."

Ima's round face twisted in concern, but she did not speak what was obviously on her mind. She opened that infamous drawer beside the bed, one that Link had become familiar with over the past year and a half, and took out the usual supplies to dress a wound. Link removed his gloves and slid out of his undershirt, which hurt the most because the cloth had been embedded into the wound on his shoulder by the wolf's fangs, and the separation of it made him cringe.

The door to the room suddenly opened, and to Link's surprise it was Jennan. She came inside with Gelert close behind, a thin shawl over her head to block the rain which she slowly removed as she shut the door, and she was only half-dressed as if she had got up from the bed and came immediately down to see what was going on. Her hair was not put up in its usual way but was hanging loose all the way down to the small of her back. For a moment Link felt bad for waking her with his loud banging, but then he was rather touched for her concern.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, and with bare feet crossed over the dirt floor to the bed at Link's side. She cringed at the sight of the bleeding wound but sat down close against him and laid her hand gently on his bare forearm. "Are you okay, Link?"

He laid back with his head in her lap but to where Ima could still doctor his left shoulder, and reached up and ran his hand over the bottom of Jennan's wavy hair. "For now." His hand travelled down her arm and her fingers spread when he got down to her hand, and almost without even thinking about it their fingers entwined firmly. Ima came over to the side of the bed and bent down to her knees to be at a better level with Link's shoulder, and she frowned in concern when she saw the wound and gently pressed a clean cloth to the edges of it before moving to the center. The pain was more than Link had expected and his breath drew in sharply, but it seemed to have more affect on Jennan that it did on him, for she tensed up and her grip tightened on his hand.

"That's a deep bite," Ima said. Then after a moment, "How many times were you attacked?"

Link cringed when the cloth touched his torn shoulder again, but recovered quickly and took out a second to think of the answer to the old woman's question. "Three times, I think, but only two made contact."

Ima sat back on the floor and folded the blood-stained cloth over a couple of times in her stiff hands. "That's not a good sign."

"I know. But I don't think there are any left."

"You did a good job, then. But, Link, you know... I'm having my suspicions."

Link closed his eyes and nodded grimly, and Jennan tensed again. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice slightly shaking. "Ima, what are you getting at?"

Ima began salving the wound and only looked at the girl, so Link felt as if he should answer. "Those wolves," he said between breaths, "were kinda quick to attack. That's a sign that they might be rabid." He did not know any other way to put it except bluntly- it made him begin to realize the seriousness of it as well as her.

"No," Jennan said breathlessly, her face going pale. She knew what it all meant; if their suspicions were true, it might mean Link's eventual death.

"Let's not jump to conclusions yet," Ima jumped in, and held up a bottle of thin liquid to the lantern light as she looked through it, as if to see if it was good enough for the task at hand. "I have had experience with rabid animals before, and I would have to see the wolves before I could reach a conclusion. Right now we need to get this wound dressed and worry about the details a little later. Link, this right here is very potent stuff, so expect a lot of pain when it makes contact." She poured a moderate amount onto a white cloth, and after Link braced himself for the extreme sensation, quickly pressed it to the open wound, whereupon he was tempted to scream but fought to hold it back.

It took a few seconds after the pain wore off for Link to realize that he was no longer laying back but had unwillingly shot up into a sitting position; he was used to all different kinds of hurt, but he had not felt pain that intense for a long time, and for the first time in what seemed like forever he let out a pain-inflicted groan and then a shuddering breath, and shakily laid back again. Jennan's fingers were running back over his hair, and after a few moments it worked to calm him and he relaxed slightly, but he noticed that his hands were trembling and the pain in his shoulder had toned down to a severe discomfort rather than the raw excruciating feeling it had been. He pressed the both palms to his watering eyes and then turned his head to face Ima, who looked sympathetic but otherwise very serious. There was one worry that was hanging around in their minds, one question that still did not have an answer, one thing that was holding life in the balance, and it was all going to come down to Ima's judgment.

**-O-**

An order was put out for the guard to go above decks, so Zelda was left alone by herself in the rocking hall in the darkness below. She was unsure at what to do next, for there was obviously nowhere that was exactly safe on the ship, though staying in her dwelling would probably be the best idea, but it was not her way to just sit back and do nothing in a bad situation. She was a princess and in her own land was usually the first one to deal with emergencies, but it was a hard thing to shake the fact that in Altea she was just mainly the king's wife and all the big decisions were left up to him unless he gave the word. She despised the feeling of uselessness, and perhaps that was what drove her to ascend the stairs and force herself to the doorway of the soaking wet deck.

There was obviously no reason for her fear of Marth having gone overboard, for at this position she could see that he was still on deck and giving orders; not a spot on him was dry, and for a split second Zelda surprised herself by strangely noticing that he for some reason looked attractive when soaking wet. He a looker of a young man anyway, but she had not really noticed before, for they had not been married for a reason that had anything to do with that at all.

A person could think some strange things when death was a nearby option, but for some reason Zelda no longer felt fear. Sure, she had never imagined dying like this, after all she had been through, but she was well aware that things did not always go as expected, and her life was a good example of that now. When she was younger she had always had it in her mind that she would marry Link and start a family with him- certainly not with the young king of her rival country and ending up dying in a shipwreck. Oh well, that was all said and done now, with no going back on it, so she might as well take care of the matter at hand and do what she could.

But the next thing she knew was that she was hurtling down onto the wet deck, and without knowing exactly what was going on or how it had happened, was knocked unconscious.

**-O-**

**Yeah, so I'm slow and always getting jammed up by writer's block... sorry about that. Hopefully you people are still interested in this thing. By the way, the next chapter might be slow to come up too cuz I've got a test to be studying for, and that means less time to write :( Anyway, review**


	5. Chapter 5

A bright and blurry sky made its way into view as Zelda's eyes fluttered open slowly, and her vision swam a little before the thin grey clouds became clear on the blue background above. She touched her fingers to the side of her head, but did not feel any pain. Suddenly she noticed that Marth was there with her, on his knees beside her with a strong hand behind her head, lifting her up slightly at the signs of her being awake. She realized that she was on the deck of the ship, and at first thought that she had been there all along, for it was the last thing she remembered, but figured that was very unlikely; it was daylight now and the deck was mostly dry, and besides that she knew that Marth would not have let her lie on the deck all night.

She sat up a little and moaned softly. "What happened to me?" she asked groggily, leaning her weight back on her husband's supporting arm. He brushed back a few strands of damp hair from her face and then tilted up her chin gently to get a look at her face.

"You were hit by something," he said plainly. "I would guess part of the mast. What were you doing on deck?"

The question was an honest one, yet Zelda ignored it. She knew it had been a foolish thing to do last night, but her stubbornness had fueled her desire to try to be useful, but unfortunately all she had accomplished was to knock herself out. She had to admit that she was a little embarrassed, even though there was really no reason to be. And she was wondering why she was outside once again. "How long have I been knocked out?"

"All night. I had you taken to bed but just a little while ago figured that fresh air might be good for you. Well, it woke you up, didn't it?"

There were some questions that were nagging her for an answer, and she looked Marth in the eye, suddenly worried. "What's the damage to the ships?"

His expression hardened a little. "The rest of the fleet didn't suffer much damage, but the _Dragonhead_is in need of repairs when we get back home." That was the king's personal ship, first Marth's father's and then had been passed down, and was the one that they were on now. Or at least Zelda thought so; she was not sure of much at the moment.

"Marth where are we?" she asked, confused.

He looked away towards the horizon, for some reason avoiding her eyes. "Carrickfergus shore. But there's no sign of our rival king. If he is planning this as a trap, he's going to have quite a war on his hands. So, how are you feeling?"

He really cared? That was unusual. "I'm fine." She did not feel like thinking about all of that war talk, anyway. She had secretly been so excited about her chance of seeing Link that she had nearly forgotten all about their real reason for making the trip, but she quickly covered that up and nodded in agreement. Then she grasped Marth's wrist and said, "Here, help me up." He pulled her gently to her feet, and she was for some reason surprised at how careful he was- she did not think very often that the either of them really cared for each other, but lately she had been having second thoughts about that, and it somehow made her feel guilty. He surprised her even further when he slid his arm around the back of her shoulders and pulled her against him as they walked to the stern of the ship, and suddenly her guilt was stronger than ever.

"I'm concerned that our stay here might be longer than expected, because the storm we just broke through took us off course, but it sped things up. We might be here too early." He let go of her and leaned both elbows on the railing, pressing his palms together. Zelda stood close behind him and for the first time noticed how beautiful the land around them was. The water itself seemed to be a deeper blue than in Altea, and the trees that thoroughly covered the land were almost an unusual dark green, even this early in the year. It was as if the whole of Carrickfergus was nothing but woods, and Zelda was curious as to how, if Marth even let her look, she was going to find Link in all this forest. She had sent Link a letter awhile ago, so unless he had never gotten it, he knew they were coming so it would not all be without warning.

"So," she said carefully, "if we're here too early, what are we going to do?"

His gaze shifted to her from the corner of his eye, then back to the ocean water. His hands still together, he brought both thumbs up to his mouth and pressed them against his teeth- it seemed he always did something like this when trying to hold back a sharp word, and inwardly Zelda cringed. But his voice came out steady. "We're going to wait. I'm not leaving until we can ge these 'peace talks' settled. As to _where_ we wait... I'll leave that up to you."

For real? "All right." She looked down at the bottom of her skirt. "I don't suppose the ship is fit to stay on, is it?"

He shook his head without looking at her. But he was a very sharp young man, and Zelda knew that he was onto what she really wanted and it would do no good to dance around the subject, so she might as well just ask him. "You know where we're welcome." She paused to give him time to object if he wanted, but he was silent. "I'm just not sure of how to get there."

Marth was quiet and motionless for a few moments, but at last he said dully, "Ask directions."

That must be his way of saying yes, she supposed. Or at least that he did not care. She did not want to thank him for it, for that might come off the wrong way and make it seem as if she was too desperate about it, so she just nodded at him and pulled her silk shawl farther up onto her shoulders. As she turned away, he moved towards her suddenly and grabbed her arm.

"Listen," he said, so she stopped and looked at him. "You still need to be resting, so don't go anywhere yet. Not at least for a day or two."

A day or two? By that time the Akanean king would have arrived and there would be no time or reason to be staying anywhere else. Zelda did not know where the talks would be held, that was Marth's business to find out, but she did know that the longer they sat around the less chance she had of seeing Link, and she was determined to make that happen. It was her whole reason for wanting to come along on this trip, and there was no doubt that Marth knew it; but why did he just go along with it? That almost worried her. She knew of her husband's temper and quick will to act without thinking, and she was aware of a very small feeling inside that told her not to bring Marth and Link together, but she pushed it away quickly and tried to ignore it. It was not every day that she had the chance to see her best friend -well, that seemed too light of a title for what she still felt for Link; maybe true love was the right one- and she was not about to let it be ruined, even if it meant flat out telling Marth the truth.

"But there's nothing wrong with me," she finally protested. "Other than a slight headache, I'm all right."

Marth's left eyebrow raised the way it always did when he wanted something and was staying stubborn. "Zelda," he said, "you're pregnant. You don't need to be out gallivanting after some guy."

His words stunned her to silence for a few seconds, but then she replied quietly, "I just want to see Carrickfergus. I don't get out much, you know." That was true, but of course it was not the whole reason. So much for telling him the truth. Suddenly she was just not brave enough, and he, obviously knowing the real truth, for some reason decided to ignore it and instead began ordering her around again.

"You're going to stay put if I have to hold you down," he said firmly. "At least for a few days. That's all."

She bristled, irritated. She would never get used to being told what to do. "I'll rest on the ship for one day. No more." Their eyes met stubbornly, each waiting for the other to back down, but neither of them was willing. It was a strange way to go about it, but at least they had compromised on something. Satisfied with that, Zelda gathered her shawl around her and walked away, stepping over the broken mast that lay on the deck, and went down below to her chamber.

**-O-**

The surroundings were mostly dark when Link awoke late the next morning. For a moment he was confused but realized that he was still on the bed in Ima's dwelling. The lanterns had obviously been blown out some time before, and the only light in the windowless room was coming from the crack under the door, but it was enough for him to tell that Ima was no longer there. He somehow knew it was late and wanted to get to work, though he was unsure if his numb shoulder would allow him. It was not until he moved that he noticed Jennan close on the left side of him, clutching his forearm and sleeping soundly. He lay back again, trying not to wake her, and found that it relaxed him to find her there, having given up most of her own sleep to stay with him throughout the night.

The events of the night before were catching up with him through the daze of his fatigue, and he remembered that his very life might be threatened in the future, with no way to stop or avoid it. He did not worry very much about it, though the thought of it was sort of depressing. He did not know the symptoms or how exactly a person died of rabies, but he knew that they did and it would only be a matter of time- if in fact the wolves had been rabid. It all came down to Ima's judgement, and he was curious to know what she had found out, if anything, but he knew that Jennan was tired and he wanted to let her sleep.

With no warning the numbness in his shoulder turned into a searing pain that caught him off guard. He stared up at the ceiling and tried to catch his breath quietly, but Jennan stirred and then sat up slowly a few seconds after. One hand still on his arm, the other pushed back her hair and then touched his face gently.

"Any better?" she asked, getting right to the point. Better was a big difference from well, so he just nodded slightly. Jennan got up and pulled open a drawer in Ima's dresser. "I washed and mended your tunic after you fell asleep last night." He got up slowly and thanked her, then carefully pulled his shirts on to avoid giving himself more pain than he already had. Jennan had a relaxed appearance, which she managed well, but Link could see the worry for him in her eyes. He hated to see her in pain like that and wanted to say something to comfort her, maybe himself as well, but as usual could not think of the right words. Instead he got up and faced her. They stood a distance apart for a moment, sharing a look that clearly revealed their feelings of the situation, and then Jennan went to him with tears in her eyes. He caught her when she got close, and she pressed her face against his chest and hung onto him as if the world was ending -and in a way theirs really might be- and he felt her body shake with a suppressed sob that she fought back. Link held her close to him and held his breath, uncomfortable with not knowing what to tell her. "Oh, Link!" she exclaimed, and finally let her tears loose. "What if something terrible happens?" She clung to him tighter. "You'll be all right, won't you?"

Her emotions were getting the best of her, but he could not lie. Only the truth for Jennan. "I don't know," he replied quietly. And he really did not; to him it did not make much sense for him to die in such a strange way, after all he had been through, and besides, had he not been chosen by the goddesses themselves? It made him sure for a moment, but then he realized that he had already fulfilled his purpose, so what if this was just part of his winding fate? He supposed the end had to come somewhere. Just so soon and at such a young age was what he did not like- he still had things he wanted to do and was not done with life. He had been through a lot, by far, and he let himself think of how much his life had changed through the years, sometimes so unexpectedly that he still was unsure of how it had happened. A lot of it Jennan did not even know about, so he decided that he would one day soon tell her the story, from beginning to end, while he still had the chance. If life had gone on normal for him, he had planned to do it gradually so he did not overwhelm her, but that was probably not going to be an option any longer.

Jennan's hands were digging into his back hard and her tears were beginning to wet the front of his tunic, but Link did not care. He said to her, "Ima's an expert when it comes to medical situations." He swallowed hard. "Whatever she tells us, I guess we'll just have to take her word for it." But of course that had to go for both options, and not just the one they wanted to hear; he wanted Jennan to be prepared for the worst, but he was sure that she was well aware of that now.

Just at that time the door to the room opened and Ima came inside and lit a lantern. Link and Jennan shared a look, then let go of each other and impatiently turned to the old woman, who seemed to be in no hurry. Jennan stepped forward, her small hands clenched into tight fists at her sides, and stood stiffly in the middle of the room. "Ima," she said shakily. "What did you find out?"

Ima hung the lantern back on its hook, and as light filled the small room, took off her thin shawl and proceeded to fold it slowly. Ignoring Jennan's question, she said at last, "Matayo took me out to the woods to see the wolves." Her gaze flicked over to Link. "It looked like a battlefield to me, with all the blood. No wonder you suffered the wounds you did; there were a lot of them."

Link only looked at her seriously and Jennan said, "Tell us what you know, already! Are the wolves rabid or not?"

Ima turned her back to them and opened a dresser drawer slowly, then dropped her shawl gently inside. "It took me a little while to examine them, and I have to say it was not the most enjoyable thing. Matayo was quite sure that there were no more of them alive, so I could make my observation easier." She gently pushed the drawer closed and looked at the floor. "I know it's a very depressing situation..." She gazed up at the two of them. "But I do not really understand what all of the tears are about. The wolves are not rabid."

Silence followed, and Link was dying to ask questions but did not know what to say. But Jennan spoke exactly what he was thinking. "Are you sure, Ima?" Her voice was shaking and full of hope. "You did not make any mistakes?"

Ima turned to them. "I am as sure as you and I are standing here. Trust me, my child." She met Link's gaze. "Link, you're all right. You're going to be fine."

Jennan wiped her eyes and turned back to Link, her eyes shining now not from tears, but rather from hopeful joy. They trusted Ima's judgement, and if what she said was true, their immediate problems were now gone. Link smiled at her, and then she ran to him excitedly and threw herself upon him with relief. She began laughing, quietly at first, and then it rose to a high note of happiness that somehow managed to be contagious, and soon Link found himself laughing along with her as she clung to him. Ima stood there smiling, relief on her face as well, and she said, "There's nothing to worry about now, I promise you. I have actually seen many a rabid animal, and those wolves were nothing but wild. Link, you and Rhashidi are going to be okay."

With all of the worry and confusion that had been going on, Link had nearly forgotten that Rhashidi had been attacked as well, and felt guilty for not thinking of his friend. Jennan kissed him and let go, then went to Ima and threw her arms around her. "Oh, thank you Ima," she said, thick relief in her voice.

Ima laughed a little and hugged her back. "Don't thank me, dear. I only told you the truth."

"Link, we have to tell Rhashidi," Jennan exclaimed, and then laughed. "I'm sure he'll want to know." She grabbed Link's hand and hustled him out of the dwelling, but instead of going off into the woods to find Rhashidi, she took a turn towards the house and ascended the steps to the porch. She glanced back at him and beamed, then opened the door and led him inside. Memnet was at the large iron water basin beside the open window, scrubbing away at some chipped pot that had a crack up the side, but looked up at them as they came in and stood beside the table.

"Jennan," Memnet said questioningly, the pot still in her hand and dripping water back down into the basin. "Matayo hasn't been back yet to tell me what Ima found out. What did she say to you?"

Jennan gripped Link's hand tighter and smiled, brushing strands of her long hair from her face. "Everybody's going to be fine."

Memnet let out her breath in a whoosh of relief, and her hands covered her mouth as she dropped the pot back into the water. She stood with her eyes closed tight for a moment or two, then opened them and looked at her sister with her hands shaking slightly as she moved them from her mouth. "Thank goodness," she breathed.

Link and Memnet were on good enough terms, but he had a strong feeling that her relief was not for his sake, and quickly his suspicions were confirmed. Jennan said, "We were just going to tell Rhashidi."

Memnet dried her hands on her skirt quickly and looked away. "I'll tell him," she said quietly, as if there was a serious meaning to her words, and Link was beginning to think that there was. Jennan seemed to notice this as well, for she nodded in agreement of her sister's statement and pressed back against Link to clear Memnet's way to the open door, and the older girl walked past them with her head down. She stopped on the threshold and said shakily, "I'm glad you're all right, Link." He nodded once at her, but she was already on her way across the porch and was closing the door behind her.

Standing alone in the kitchen, Link and Jennan were silent for a few minutes before she turned to him and looked up at him with a smile on her lips and a gleam in her eyes. He brushed the side of her face with his fingertips, and her eyes closed in contentment at his touch, but just then Dorobis came in the door, looking slightly confused, then scowled at the two of them and pointed Jennan up towards the stairs. It was obvious that he had noticed Jennan's absence the night before and probably figured where she had been (where she always was when he could not find her, no doubt somewhere with Link), and that was what had set him off this time. He looked menacing, but it did not seem that he was truly angry- not the way he would have been in the past. Jennan walked towards the stairs almost backwards, smiling at Link and holding onto his hand before she had to let go, then turned and ran up the stairs. Dorobis called after her, demanding that she get dressed, for she was still in her long nightdress, and she ran faster and disappeared up into her room.

Link turned and realized that he was left alone with Dorobis, and he ground his teeth together hard. Any time this had happened in the past, it usually ended in hot words or sometimes even a fist-fight. He was not afraid of Dorobis, but he liked to avoid him as much as possible after all the things that he had been put through at the man's hand, and Link refused to let his guard down in any situation that involved the two of them. In the past, it had been a terrible offense for Link to be even near the house, no less inside it, and he was very wary of what Dorobis was going to do to him as an act of punishment. Keeping a close eye on the man, he headed towards the door cautiously but tensed and came to a quick halt when Dorobis held out a hand at his chest to stop him. For a moment instinct and experience told Link to fight, but all that was put on hold when the older man spoke.

"Don't rush off just yet," Dorobis said gruffly. A frown was etched into his eyebrows and his mouth was nothing but a tight straight line, and his hand came down roughly and clamped onto Link's shoulder. The man cleared his throat loudly. "I know what happened last night- the situation with the wolves. I sent you out to protect the plantation boundaries... and I have to admit that you did your job well." He scratched his dark beard with his free hand. "Memnet told me of all the confusion. You were attacked, were you not?"

Link was cringing but stood solid under the man's grip; he had been enduring the pain for the past few moments but could not do so much longer. He fought to steady his voice and finally said, "Yes sir, and I think you've gotten it bleeding again."

Dorobis looked at him blankly for a moment, then seemed to realize what he was doing and pulled his hand away awkwardly. Link's first instinct was to press his own hand over the wound as if to stop the pain, but he did not yield to it and instead just stood there and held the man's gaze, which seemed to almost be apologetic- almost. After a few slowly passing seconds of just looking at one another, Dorobis crossed his arms over his chest and finally glanced away. "Well, I suppose there's no point in you hanging out here when there's work to be done. I don't pay you to stand around, you know." So the thick wall that had always been between them was quickly raised again after being awkwardly lowered for the smallest amount of time, and only slightly disappointed, Link wordlessly headed towards the door until Dorobis cleared his throat and said in a low tone, "Link, wait." Link stopped with his left hand on the doorknob and turned a little to look at the man, wary and untrusting once again. But Dorobis tilted his chin up a little and said, "I think that everyone is relieved for the news of your well-being."

For once Link could not meet the older man's eyes, but it was not because of the former's usual oppression; instead, Dorobis had practically just said that he was glad that Link was going to be okay, and the young man was so surprised and caught off guard that he could not even begin to form words into a reply, but it seemed better that way because Dorobis did not wait around for one and instead turned away and headed up the stairs.

**-O-**

Zelda woke up early the next morning in the dwelling alone, and she got up and dressed quickly. The ship was rocking slowly and gently, which meant that the wind was picking up but the weather was probably going to be nice that day, and that only improved her mood and made her even more eager to get off the ship and get out. She left the room, closing the heavy door quietly behind her, and made her way down the hall, which still had wet spots of water that had settled into the wood floor and had nowhere to drain to, and held up her skirts as she ascended the steps and came up on deck. The sun overhead was already very warm, despite it being the early time of day, and she lifted her face to the bright rays and took in a deep breath. The wind blew her skirts about her and her hair into her mouth, but she did not mind. Today she was off to see Link, without Marth no less, for he had taken a few of his soldiers and gone off in search of the peace talk meeting place, and she was beginning to wonder if the day could possibly get any better; of course she planned to bring Marth with her the next time she came, but today she was set on going without him. It seemed that when he was around she always had this uncomfortable dread in the pit of her stomach, a constant hidden worry of what he was thinking or what he was going to say or do. He was always calm and serious, but unpredictable- she had learned this in only the few months they had been married. They could compromise if they tried, but were both young royalty who were stubborn and used to getting their own way, and sometimes when Zelda sassed Marth she had seen his eyes flash and had almost been afraid that he would hurt her, but so far he had managed to turn his back to it and at the most ignore it.

Zelda had never had those wary feelings around Link. She had always felt comfortable and safe with him, for he had never even said a harsh word to her, no less appear as if he would strike her. In fact, Zelda had never even seen him get violent with anyone, unless in battle, but she knew that he had strength that perhaps he was not even aware of, because in general he had an unusual gentleness about him that at first glance someone might consider as weakness, but the princess knew better than that- Link was the strongest person she had ever known, in all the ways that a person could be strong, and that was one of the many reasons that she admired him so greatly. By now she had accepted it, but she had to admit to herself that she was jealous that it was someone else who held his love now and no longer only her. She knew that the old fire between them was over, but in her case it had been put out only because it had to be when she had married Marth, and sometimes she knew that it was, in all reality, not over for her because her feelings for Link that she had buried away had been resurrected from their grave when the two of them had run into each other at the town near Barrack awhile back.

She still held the terrible guilt that had begun three years ago when she had refused to let Link accompany her into exile, and sometimes she still even wondered what had been her reason for doing so. At the time it had seemed like the most logical thing to do, for she had planned to return in a very short time, but obviously Link had somehow known better than that. He had tried to convince her to change her mind, but she had remained reluctantly stubborn even when he had told her not to make him beg; now it pained Zelda to think back on that, but it had been worse when she had later turned to Hyrule and found that Link was no longer there but was out somewhere looking for her- she was well aware of the dangers that seemed to just follow him around and came to the conclusion that if anything happened to him, it would be her fault. As if that had not been bad enough, she had then heard the story that Link had been driven to the point of attempting to drown himself very soon after her departure, and for awhile she had not believed it because it was so out of character for him, but only after more than one person told of their witnessing of it did she know that it was true and realized how badly she had hurt Link to begin with. She had secretly cried for two days after that until finally gathering herself and commanding a score of her closest guards to search for Link, though she knew it was close to impossible to finding him, and waited around for a month for him to return, but little did she know that it was going to be over two years before they would meet again, and then it would be too late for their old love to even matter.

But there was no reason to be depressing herself with the memories of that now. She still considered Link her closest friend, and today was the first chance in a long time she had to go see him and she was not willing to ruin her mood, so she pushed away her previous thoughts and began planning ahead. She asked some of the men who were repairing the ship if they knew if Gathan had left with Marth earlier that morning, and they bowed to her and told her that the king's adviser was still below decks studying a Carrickfergus map and trying to figure out what was where. Zelda thanked them and asked one of her female servants to go down and fetch him, and a few minutes later the girl returned with Gathan close behind with a rolled up map in his hand.

"You sent for me, highness?" he asked. He seemed to be much more at ease when not in Marth's presence, but then again, who wasn't?

"Yes, Gathan," Zelda replied, holding her long fingers out for the map, and he handed it to her promptly. "You see, I've never been here in my life, so I need directions. Can you help me?"

Gathan bit his bottom lip slightly. "I can try. I've always been Marth's bookkeeper as well as adviser, so I know something of maps. Perhaps you could come with me down to the library so we can have more room?"

"Certainly." She had never been on the _Dragonhead _before until this journey, so she was not familiar with the location of every room, and that made her comfortable with letting Gathan lead the way. As they went down below and through the long halls, she thought it seemed a little strange for a warship to have a library and was going to say so but decided not to bother with it. She was far too eager to get off the ship and get going to waste anymore time.

Gathan stopped at a tall wooden door and fiddled with an enormous lock before opening the door for her and summoning her inside. The walls were lined with shelves that contained many Altean books that stacked to the ceiling, and Zelda had to admit she was impressed- she had not seen this many books in one place since being home at Hyrule castle, and she was unsure if Marth had a thing for reading or if he just liked to say he had a full library, and she decided to ask him later and she unrolled the large map on a table in the middle of the wide room. Gathan held down two of the corners that were trying to curl back in on themselves as Zelda placed her finger on the drawn part of the shore where she figured they were at the moment. Most of the map consisted of nothing but trees, and she wondered how in the world she was going to find this plantation when she had no idea even what direction to go. She told Gathan this, and the two of them mulled over the situation for a few moments, taking references to the map every now and then, until finally Gathan concluded a spot where he thought would be the best place to look.

"Link lives on this plantation with his girl and her family. Her father's in the trading business, so I would guess that he's fairly well known around here, so perhaps I should take Marth's advice and just ask directions," Zelda said, a little irritated. For some reason she had expected it all to be much more simple than this, but come to think of it there was almost nothing that ever worked out simply for her, so there was no reason to be surprised.

"Well, highness, this is your first time in Carrickfergus, but I have been here before with Marth's father, the late king," Gathan said at last. "It was more than a decade ago, but I'm doubting that much has changed, so I know where to find civilization." The man frowned. "I would have been able to tell our young king exactly where to find this place he is searching for, but he ordered me to stay on the ship. But oh well, it will give us more time to find what it is that you're in search of."

Zelda ordered two horses to be taken ashore from the _Dragonhead's_smaller sister ships, and she gathered about a dozen of her Hylian soldiers to accompany them. When she at last was on solid ground and had her guards around her, she allowed Gathan to assist her into the saddle of a sleek white gelding, one of the finest young horses under Marth's possession, which, though she already had quite a few horses of her own, he had given Zelda as a wedding gift after their marriage, and it was well known that there was hardly a finer horse in all of Altea and all of the countries surrounding it, save for Marth's own black stallion, and Zelda knew that there was no way she would be able to deny her royalty on the back of that horse- you never knew, situations might call for denial, but there was no reason to start getting paranoid now.

Gathan basically led the way on a horse of his own, with the young queen following and the soldiers on foot close behind her. They travelled through thick woods, wide clearings, and over a couple of creeks, until at last they reached a small building against a background of closely knitted trees; a wooden sign hung by the door that said _Sword Stone Tavern _in carefully carved English, and it was here that Gathan reined in his horse beside a few others that were tied to a single post, and he dismounted and handed the reins to the nearest soldier. He held up a hand to the queen to signal her to stay put, and he disappeared through the open door of the tavern- but Zelda was not about to sit around and wait for him, so she dismounted quickly before even her guards could assist her, and told them all to stay outside so other people did not get suspicious.

It was a relief to get out of the wind, but it was fairly dark inside, with only the light coming through the doorway and a few lanterns lit up near the ceiling, but the first thing that Zelda noticed was the choking smoke of a cigar and the sharp smell of cold beer. When her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting she saw that nearly every man in the small building had turned to look at her, but she ignored them and spotted Gathan standing at the counter with his back to the door and talking to the scantily-clad woman behind the bar. Zelda gathered her skirts and walked in a straight line towards her adviser, her chin tilted up and her eyes not moving from Gathan's back, but she could feel all the other eyes in the place on her. She knew the men were looking at the jewels connected to her dress, the gold hairpiece on her head, the sword at her side; probably never had they seen a woman with a sword, especially not in such an expensive-looking and breath-taking silver plated sheath strapped directly to her waist, as a man would wear his weapon. What was probably more amazing was the fact that her stomach had grown and it could certainly be seen by now that she was expecting a child- so basically what they saw was an expensive pregnant woman with a weapon, and she could only imagine what they were thinking.

When she reached Gathan's side, the bartender was saying, "Yes, I know Dorobis. He's a wealthy trader who always stops in here at the end of his journeys." The dark-haired woman leaned with her elbows on the counter and looked Zelda over. "Your wife?" she said to Gathan, who reddened behind his beard and told her no. Her eyebrows raised in surprise, then narrowed in suspiscion as her eyes met Zelda's.

"We are running an errand for my husband," Zelda said coldly. It was almost the truth, but she knew exactly what the woman was thinking, and she was not about to let that thought go any farther. "Now. If you could just tell us where to find this Dorobis, we will be on our way."

The woman turned her back to them and took two foaming glasses of beer in her hands and took them down to a man at the other end of the counter, then returned and adjusted the brooch at the breast of her lowly cut gown. "I've never seen you here before, so you must be travellers. And besides, everyone knows where Dorobis lives; it is easy for his whore daughter to make sure to keep everyone informed."

Zelda was shocked. Surely this woman was not referring to the sweet tiny girl who had once come begging for Link's freedom of slavery. Her face flushed with anger and offense, she said, "An unwise thing to say of someone who is accompanied with you in business."

"No worries about that. It came from Dorobis' mouth first, dearie. It's only the truth."

Zelda wanted to slap her, but of course easily restrained herself. Besides, what right did the bartender have to insult others when she herself could have easily passed off as a prostitute at first glance? But the young queen could not say this, for they were still in need of the woman's help. Gathan seemed to realize Zelda's inability to speak just yet, so he said, "If you could please give us directions, we would be very grateful."

"Dorobis has a large plantation, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Just head north-west and you'll probably come upon it yourselves, but it might not hurt to ask of anyone else you see. Stay on the wide trail and you'll do fine."

"We thank you," Gathan said, and after reaching into his robe for a moment, laid a costly silver coin on the counter.

When they were back outside and mounted on their horses again, it was not until they got back on the trail did Zelda let her frustrations loose. "Gathan, did you hear that woman? Calling people whores when she herself..." She tightened her mouth and scowled as Gathan replied, yes he had heard. At first Zelda had been infuriated at the woman's words, but now she was suddenly almost hurt- pointless, really. But by now she had figured out the reason for the bartender's and even Dorbis' words, for it only took a few seconds of thinking and reason, but she was sure. It was useless to be jealous, though she could not deny that, for not only was she married now but Link had found a new life for himself and she could not hold onto him forever. So she buried her jealousy and hurt deep within herself and swore to never speak of it.

Gathan kept them on the wide northwest trail as he had been instructed, and they travelled on in silence for quite a long while until they came to a fork in the road. Unsure that they were even on the right path, they questioned it among themselves as they decided on the right way. Her back aching from the long ride, Zelda dismounted slowly and this time accepted help from her guards, and they gently and carefully lowered her to the ground. She stretched painfully, and as Gathan sat on his horse and pondered on their next move, the soldiers took this as a chance to rest, for they had been walking the whole long way in full armor and were no doubt by now exhausted. They relaxed for a few moments, leaning on their spears or even sitting or lying in the grass or just on the dirt road, and Zelda could not say that she could blame them. She had been riding the whole way and was still tired. The small party was alone in the middle of the thick forest, with no one to guide them to their destination, and for a moment Zelda wondered if robbers were abundant around there, for there was no telling about that kind of thing. People had been attacked and robbed in much stranger situations, so it was certainly not impossible. But she figured she would be fine with all of her soldiers so close about her.

Just as she was thinking this, something hit her from the side with such force that she nearly went down. She felt someone's arm around her shoulders tight, and as she regained her balance and made a grab for her sword, she suddenly realized who it was that had jumped her, and she stopped all attempts to fight back and went limp with a smile.

"Rhashidi!" she cried joyfully, and pushed him back a little to get a good look at him- she had not seen him for about three years now. In a flash her guards sprang into action and rushed forward to protect her, but she quickly held up her hands to them and stopped them in their tracks, they being confused but obedient. She turned back to the wolf-boy and threw her arms around his neck in joyful reunion. "Rhashidi, you've changed so much! You used to be so small, and now look at you." She ran her hands over his bare, tattooed shoulders. "You've packed on the muscle too. My goodness, Rhashidi, have you been with Link this whole time?"

He nodded. "You asked me to," he said quietly, and though it was hard to hear him over the wind, Zelda noticed how low his voice had dropped since she had last seen him. She knew he was shy around people, and she saw him glancing at Gathan and her guards almost warily; but no doubt the soldiers were just as suspicious of him as he was of them. She knew she had to create peace between them quickly, so she laid her hand on Rhashidi's shoulder and moved him to face Gathan, who was turned back in his saddle to stare open-mouthed at what was happening.

"Gathan," she said, "this is my old friend Rhashidi. Rhashidi, this is my husband's royal adviser, Gathan."

"Um... hello," Gathan said hesitantly. Rhashidi only looked at the ground, and then Gathan's eyes turned to Zelda and he mouthed, _Are you serious? _She frowned at him and shook his head to signal his silence, and he bowed respectfully to her.

Zelda then turned back to the Rhashidi, who had pulled away from her reach and was backing up slowly with his ears nearly laid back into swift points, and she could tell that his discomfort of other people was just too much. She followed him away until he stopped just outside the path, barely in the woods but out of sight of the others, and then grabbed his wrist gently. "Well, I suppose your preference for solitude hasn't changed." She hugged him again, and he hugged her back roughly but gladly. When she could catch her breath again she said, "I came to visit Link, but I didn't really think I would run into you here."

"Why not?" he asked quietly, looking through his wind-blown bangs to meet her eyes questioningly, and in that moment she knew that she had underestimated his loyalty. Three years ago she had asked him to do what he could to protect Link, and he had stayed true to his promise that he would, even unto this very day. When she looked into his eyes she could see an aggressive fearlessness that was almost hidden beneath his sweet and timid demeanor, but she was able to detect it. This boy was as bold and strong as they came, and afraid of nothing- that was easy enough to see. Rhashidi was so similar to Link in this way that no wonder the two of them had remained such close friends all this time (she knew this only from Link's letters, the few that he had sent her in the past few years), and Zelda almost felt proud for bringing the two of them together, for after all, their friendship had been molded by her hand.

"Nevermind it," she said at last, through a warm smile. She reached down and took the wolf-boy's rough hands in hers and leaned closer to him. "Rhashidi, you don't have to worry about the men that are with me; they are my guards and are to be trusted, all right?" When he nodded, she relaxed and released him. "I hate to ask things of you, poor boy, but is there any way you could show us to the plantation of Dorobis, please?"

He titled up his chin and looked down at her. "You saved my life once. I am in debt to you."

"Rhashidi, you are in debt to me no longer! You've already done more for me than I ever did for you." When he was silent, she looked down at the ground and composed herself again; she knew if she raised her voice her guards would be over to her side quick, and she did not want to make Rhashidi more uncomfortable than he already was. "I'm sorry for yelling. Now come on, wherever you lead us to, we'll follow you."

And they did. Once everyone was mounted on horseback again, and Zelda had convinced Rhashidi that her guards were not going to cause any harm, he walked at the bridle of her horse and led the way down the left path of the fork in the road. There was nothing but the long trail ahead with thick trees for miles on each side, and the longer they walked in silence the more Zelda was beginning to think they were quite literally in the middle of nowhere. She trusted that Rhashidi knew what he was doing, but by now it had been hours since they had been at the tavern, and they had not seen a single soul since then, and Zelda had to admit that she was getting nervous; not because of the long solitary walk they had to take, but because the more they walked, the closer she came to realizing that she was going to see Link- something she had been longing to do ever since she had seen him awhile back.

She glanced down at Rhashidi's bare back, and when she overlooked the light blue tattoos on his shoulders, noticed that he was scarred with deep scratches and what was left of what looked like some kind of animal bites. She wanted to ask him about it but knew he probably would not answer with all of her guards and Gathan around, and besides, his bold protectiveness was always getting him into all kinds of fights, so shew as was not entirely surprised. In the few days that she had spent with him three years ago after she had freed him from his bondage and before she had sent him off to Link, he had jumped on nearly everything that had moved and she had had to practically pull him off of complete strangers that he had mistaken as threats. Back then he had been not much more than skin and bones, but now he was all brawn and muscle. Now she saw the thick metal collar that was still around his neck, the same one that had been there ever since she had first met him, the one that had restrained him like a dog for such a long time in a dark prison cell, and she wondered why he still kept it on. She decided to ask Link about it later.

The path seemed to be never-ending, and after the day's long ride Zelda was beginning to get tired but refused to let on that she needed rest. She leaned forward in the saddle a little and closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again she saw that Rhashidi was looking up at her almost as if he could sense her fatigue, and he suddenly reached up and grabbed the horse's bridle and brought the whole group to a halt. He stood looking at her for a moment, then faced forward again with his hand still in the bridle but did not otherwise move. At first Zelda was afraid there was some kind of trouble, but when she righted herself and looked up, she saw that the trail curved a little to the left and there, slightly hidden behind the trees, was a two-story house.

She was sure her heart skipped a beat, and she held her breath as Rhashidi led the horse forward. On the left side of the trail was a large stable with two doors that were hanging open, and Zelda could hear a creek running somewhere nearby. They walked on until they reached the clearing that the house lay in the middle of, and behind it and over the hill was a large pasture dotted with grazing horses. Zelda dismounted slowly and gently dropped herself to the ground, and she held a hand up to her guards to keep them where they were, and lifted her skirts and ascended the steps onto the wooden porch. She glanced back at Rhashidi, who just stood beside her horse and looked back at her, and then Zelda turned from him and lightly knocked on the thick door.

**-O-**

**Sorry if this chapter seemed a little pointless, but at least I got it up sooner than I thought I would. Review, please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, I have absolutely no excuse for how long it took me to post this. SEVERE writer's block is all I can say. Hope you people are happy.**

**-O-**

Zelda was at first unsure if anyone was in the house, so she stepped back slightly from the door and listened. There had been no sign of any other people so far, and she glanced back at Rhashidi as if he could help her. He only stood at the bottom of the stairs and grinned at her, the white gleam of his sharp canines showing behind his parted lips. She smiled back at him and turned back to the door with a hand holding her skirts as she pushed the wind-blown hair out of her eyes. There was no denying how nervous she was, and she realized that her hands were shaking. Suddenly there were questioning voices from inside and the young queen was brought to attention and straightened herself quickly.

The heavy wooden door was opened slowly, and Zelda was almost relieved at what she saw. Standing on the threshold with an apron around her waist and kerchief tied about her head was Link's little black-haired girl. Zelda was pretty sure that her name was Jennan. It had been a long time since the girl had come to Hyrule Castle to beg for Link's freedom, and though she looked a little older now, she was still easily recognizable. Zelda smiled, and the girl's mouth dropped in surprise.

"Princess Zelda," she said. "I knew you were coming, but this is a surprise."

Zelda said, "I wanted to come with more warning. Forgive me that I couldn't."

"No, it's fine." Jennan quickly looked past her at the princess's soldiers and back again. "We don't have a lot of room, but you're welcome to come inside."

Zelda glanced back and said, "My guards are willing to stay outside. Thank you."

Jennan nodded and moved from the door to give the princess room to come inside. Zelda entered the small kitchen and quickly took in her surroundings. An older-looking girl that also had a kerchief over her hair was on her knees beside the table. She looked up at the princess with no expression, and Zelda had to admit to herself that she was already a little uncomfortable. Jennan left the door open and pulled out a chair from the table, motioning for the princess to sit, who did slowly.

"Excuse the mess. We've been cleaning up around here today," Jennan said, looking sheepish. Then she turned to the other girl. "This is my sister Memnet. Memnet, this is Princess Zelda from Hyrule."

Only now did Zelda notice that the floor was wet from being scrubbed. She smiled down at Jennan's sister, but the gesture was not returned; in fact, the older girl merely leaned back down and continued her work on the floor. Zelda swallowed and said quietly, "You keep a very nice house."

It sounded as if Jennan suppressed a laugh. "You don't have to compliment our shack. I know you're used to enormous royal castles." She smiled. "But I can get you some refreshments if you want. The ride here must have been hard."

For the first time Zelda relaxed a little. "Thank you."

Jennan walked around her sister and began pouring glasses of tea at the small counter in the corner. "Link isn't here right now, but he should be back soon." She returned to the table and set one of the glass in front of the princess, her voice softening. "He'll be glad to see you."

Zelda had been waiting to hear both of those statements. It calmed her, especially to know that the other girl obviously accepted the situation and there were probably no hard feelings. Jennan excused herself and opened a door in the far wall, speaking to someone inside the room, and a tall dark-haired young man came into the kitchen. His eyebrows raised quickly when he looked at Zelda, and Jennan laughed a little as she untied the kerchief and pulled off the apron. "Yes, Artos, this is Princess Zelda. Don't look so surprised."

Through the thin sleeve of Artos' white shirt could be seen the dark outline of the brand on his bicep, and Zelda knew that he was a slave. She did not like to think that this quiet young man had been enslaved by the same man that had captured Link so long ago. Though she was relieved that she had been able to free Link, it strangely pained her to know that there was nothing she could do for Artos. Her pity intensified when he took her hand, gently pressed his it to his lips and said, "Link was right... the princess _is _beautiful."

Zelda felt herself blush- not because Artos said it, but because of how Link had obviously described her to him in the past- and she retrieved her hand gently. She used to think that Link had forgotten about her after meeting Jennan, but apparently that was not so. She smiled at Artos as he swept himself into a small bow to her and was tempted to tell him that he did not have to do that, but decided it would be better to just let him; after all, he was a slave and was probably used to showing displays of submission. As he straightened himself again, Zelda noticed that he and Jennan's older sister shared a strange tense look for a few seconds before Memnet leaned back down to the floor and continued her scrubbing. Zelda sensed that something might be going on between them, but was unsure of what it was and knew that it was not her business anyway.

Jennan touched the young man's forearm. "Artos, would you go outside and show the princess's soldiers to the guest house?" Artos, Link, Matayo, and sometimes even Henry had been building a one-story structure out in the woods by Dorobis' dwelling. It was mostly for the guests that they were frequently having to give shelter to; since Dorobis was a well-known merchant, there seemed to always be someone staying overnight and there was just not enough room in the man's dwelling for all of them. Besides, the house was for his family and certainly not an option, so he had recently set his mind to building another lodging. It was only half finished, but it had a roof and could at least serve as a shelter from the hot sun.

"Yes, miss," Artos replied quietly, and as he turned towards the light of the open door, Zelda saw that his left eye was rimmed on the bottom by a dark bruise, and she had to hold herself back from asking about it. He kept his eyes on the floor as he walked across the kitchen, and as he went out the door a short and fairly old woman slipped in past him but stopped abruptly when she saw the princess at the table.

"You must be Princess Zelda," the old woman said calmly, but there was a hint of surprise in her eyes. "May I get you something?"

Zelda did not understand at first but quickly realized that the old woman was a slave as well. She began to wonder how many slaves this Dorobis man had but then decided that she didn't want to know, for the thought made her a bit ill. She smiled at the woman and shook her head politely. "No, thank you." A few quiet seconds passed and she took a long sip of tea. "Jennan, this tea is even better than back home. Did you make it yourself?"

"Ima made it," Jennan replied motioning to the old woman, who smiled. "She has quite a talent in the kitchen."

A dog began barking from somewhere in the yard, and Memnet used the corner of the table to pull herself up from the floor and walked to the open window. A horse whinnied loudly, and there were voices outside and then a quiet laugh. Memnet glanced back over her shoulder and said flatly, "Link's back."

Zelda choked silently on her tea, unsure if she felt her dread or excitement more strongly. After a moment of mulling over it, she decided the she was far more excited. Memnet turned away and crossed the kitchen, then with her back clearly rigid she disappeared up the stairs, a door slamming somewhere from above. Jennan smiled at Zelda and went out the front door, excusing herself quietly. The old slave Ima shared a knowing look with the princess, then turned away and ascended the stairs slowly.

Now alone in the kitchen, Zelda was unsure what she should do. It would be rude to invite herself to just walk out there, so she got up from the table and walked slowly to the window. A warm breeze met her and the low sound of Jennan and Link talking outside, and Zelda casually stood there watching them for a few seconds. Just the sight of Link made her breath catch in her throat. Her first instinct was to run outside to hug and kiss him, but obvious reasons prevented her from doing that, so she just stood there as if rooted to the ground. Link was facing the house but had his eyes on Jennan; as the two of them talked he stood with his right hand in Epona's bridle, the left touching the side of Jennan's face- so gently and lovingly that it almost made Zelda feel weak to see it. Was she jealous? Yes, a little. She was sure that Jennan was aware of what was going on, but she had a feeling that the younger girl was trying very hard to avoid trouble. Zelda was grateful for that. The whole thing was a very sensitive situation, and in a way Zelda felt like an intruder because she had been out of the picture for so long and was just walking back into it with such short notice. She would not blame Jennan at all for any ill feelings, but it seemed as if that was the farthest thing from the younger girl's mind.

Zelda heard Link say something in a low voice, then Jennan smiled, motioned back to the house, and said just loudly enough that Zelda could make out the words, "Come inside and see."

The princess figured that she would help the situation along a little and walked stiffly to the open door. She slowly stepped out onto the porch with skirts in hand and stood in front of the open doorway, a little unsure. Link was looking directly at her from across the yard, but for a brief second he seemed surprised, almost as if he did not recognize her- then his mouth formed her name and he very randomly began laughing. Zelda was confused, but then she had to fight to keep her own mouth straight. Link was only smiling now, and as he began walking toward her, it was as if she had no control over her own body. She jumped off the porch and practically ran to meet him, throwing herself onto him with such force that it was a wonder she didn't knock him over. But he caught her and they hugged like this for a few moments before Zelda composed herself and pulled away bashfully.

She cleared her throat and smoothed her skirts. "I'm sorry," she said, and looked up at him softly. "It's been a long time."

Somehow she knew that he was more excited than he was letting on, but she did not blame him for holding himself back in front of his girlfriend. "When did you get here?" he asked, his voice breaking a little- Zelda then knew for sure that he was fighting to keep his reserve, and she tried to ignore the fact that it turned her on.

"Today. Yesterday... I can't remember," she replied, her face flushing. "I think we hit a hurricane on the way over here. It tore the ship up a little, but everyone seems to be fine. Marth decided to stay and get everything back in order, so that's why he's not here at the moment. I'll try to get him to come tomorrow, if that's all right." She was glad that he was not here now, for she knew that he would surely notice the color that had darkened her face and the fact that she was close to acting like a schoolgirl.

"It's fine," Jennan said. "You can stay here as long as you want."

By the time darkness rolled around, Zelda was beginning to feel quite comfortable in the small house. Everyone she had just met treated her almost like family, and she was delighted to see the people she did know, Link and Rhashidi- but by far, of course, mostly Link. She had missed him so terribly since their last meeting and it was strange to find herself so content. Ima had cooked a huge meal for all of them, and though it was not the royal cuisine Zelda was used to, she had to admit that it was quite good. At the table, Zelda made sure to be seated on the free side of Link, while Jennan was of course on the other. Artos hung back and made sure to keep all of their glasses filled to the brim, until Link waved him away with a friendly smirk.

"Artos, you're my best friend. Stop treating me like a guest."

Artos grinned back and clapped his hand roughly onto Link's shoulder. "I only do what's required of me, my friend. Do you want me to just exclude you?"

Link made a face and turned back to the table, and Zelda had to stifle a laugh. It was not often that she had a reason to laugh in the castle walls of Altea, and she now found herself easily amused. She knew that she would have to be on her way back to the ship before it got too late, but she wanted to stay and enjoy herself as long as possible.

"So, Princess Zelda," Memnet said quietly, surprising Zelda by finally speaking up. "You told us you sailed all the way here from Altea and were caught in a hurricane?"

"Yes, it was something of the sort," the princess replied, blinking slowly.

"Was anyone hurt?"

Zelda sensed Link to look at her, but she hesitated before answering. There seemed to be a reason that Memnet wanted to know, but there was no telling what it was. "Just me, I but was only knocked unconscious for awhile."

"Dreadful. How did it happen?"

"Something hit me. It seemed to be part of the mast, but I'm still not even sure. Marth had told me to stay below the deck, but..." She trailed off the end of that sentence, deciding that it was best not to finish it. It would not seem very queen-like to say, _'But I never listen to what he says_'.

"You're okay, though?" Link said.

"Yes, I'm fine. It didn't take long to recover."

"But that can't be good on pregnancy," Memnet said, and Zelda stared at her. How in the world could she have known that? Zelda was hardly even showing yet, and she had not mentioned it to any of them.

"I suppose not," the princess replied, tense until Ima leaned over her shoulder and smiled.

"Ah, you're expecting an heir to the throne? Wonderful, my dear."

Zelda smiled back. "Yes. Marth of course expects a son." For some reason she found it hard to look in Link's direction when talking about Marth, so she kept her eyes firmly on Ima. Then she said with a small laugh, "I just want it to be over with."

A chuckle went around the table, then Ima said, "Your first child?"

"Yes. Too soon, though."

"Well, my congratulations."

"Thank you." Zelda noticed that Link's arm as resting across Jennan's shoulders, and the two of them glanced at each other with a quick meaningful look, as if they were both thinking the same thing but did not want to say it out loud.

A dog began barking furiously outside- Gelert, probably- and Ima went to the open window to look out. "Master Dorobis is back early," she said, then squinted and leaned forward to see in the twilight. "It seems he has brought a guest with a _beautiful_ black horse."

Zelda tensed involuntarily. "It's Marth," she said, though there was no reason for her to be so sure. She excused herself from the table and made her way to the window. Sure enough, it was Marth and a few of his soldiers and advisers, including Gathan. Zelda figured the Dorobis man had come across the young king on the trail and had decided to escort him to the house.

"Relax, princess," Ima said, already halfway out the open door and motioning Zelda to a chair. "I'll take care of it, just go ahead and sit down."

Hesitantly, Zelda went back to the table and slowly sat, slightly nervous. She had pictured this moment many times before, the meeting of Marth and Link, but it had always seemed so far way back then. Now that it was so near to happening, she felt a little sick. Not that anything bad would happen- she did not picture them suddenly attacking one another or even having words, but she did expect there to be unspoken tension. She had gotten to know Marth well, even in the short time that they had been married, and it was beneath him to start something. Link would not be a problem either; he did not usually speak unless he had something relevant to say. Besides, Zelda suddenly realized something. She had been foolishly assuming all this time that Link might still be in love with her, at least a little. So what if he was over her and she was fretting over nothing? The thought of that cut her more deeply than she had expected, for she could not lie to herself- she still loved Link as strongly as she had years ago, if not more. Somehow, she knew, Marth was aware of this and it was the reason behind his great disliking and maybe even jealousy of Link.

Was Marth jealous? She had never thought about it in detail and was unsure of the answer. If it was true, it was nothing more than an ownership thing. She was convinced that Marth did not love her, and was certain that she did not love him. Sure, she found him attractive and even sexy at times; he was handsome and strong and very skilled in the ways of battle, but that was nothing to base her feelings on. He had other qualities also, and some of them were the worst. He was incredibly stubborn and headstrong, and there were a lot of decisions he made when it came to ruling his kingdom that Zelda not agree with. Sometimes he got on her nerves and she just wanted to keep her distance, but she had to admit that, all in all, he was doing the best he could and she respected him for that. Still, it didn't change what she felt.

Zelda abruptly snapped back to the present when Dorobis came inside and greeted her with a nod of his head and a quiet, "Princess." She nodded back to show she accepted his acknowledgement, then turned and stood with everyone else when Marth appeared in the doorway. She could already see from the lamplight that he was exhausted, and no wonder; he had been up all the night before, trying to keep the ship on course through the storm, and then had been taking care of her when she had been struck unconscious. As to what he had been doing the rest of the day while she was not with him, there was no telling, but it probably had not included rest.

The others around the table greeted the young king and he acknowledged them, but his attention was mostly on Link. It was not blatant, but Zelda could see it from across the room- then again, she had been expecting it and knew to look for it. Then Marth turned to Link and put out his hand, saying simply, "I've heard about you."

"Yeah," Link replied hesitantly, and they shook hands briefly but with a steady firmness. Zelda noticed that they solidly kept eye contact- it did not seem like an attempt to intimidate, more like just showing that neither of them was willing to back down. She knew that she was the cause of it, at least on Marth's part. There was silence as the two of them clearly gave one another a quick once-over, as if sizing each other up. Link's jaw was tight and there was tension in Marth's eyes, but nothing else was said between them. However, Zelda had the strong feeling that it was far from over.

Finally, Ima broke the silence. "We were just about to finish up here, but if you would like to join us...?"

Marth forced a smile and refused politely, then leaned over to Zelda and told her quietly, "We need to be heading back to the ship. I've given the men a break until I get back, and it's better that we get there soon."

Zelda knew it would be useless to argue with him, but Dorobis said, "You may stay the night, if you wish. Or as many nights as it takes you to get your ship back in working order."

"No, thank you. The men are waiting on my orders," Marth replied, and Zelda felt his hand lightly grip her arm as he turned to the doorway. She tensed but allowed herself to be guided to the door, wishing that she could at least say good-bye to Link before they left. But with the look that had just passed between him and Marth, it was better not to try.

As they made it to the porch, Jennan caught up beside them. "The road will be dark tonight. If you want someone to escort you back to the beach, I'll have Matayo come with you."

Marth waved off her offer. "We'll manage it. I know the way back."

Jennan then turned to Zelda. "You're welcome to come back, you know."

Zelda ignored Marth and made this decision by herself. "Thank you. We will."

Once outside where the soldiers were waiting with the horses, she freed herself from Marth's grip. One of her guards helped her into the saddle of her beautiful white mare, one of the wedding gifts from Marth. Beside her, it took Marth two tries to mount his stallion- probably the old wound in his knee bothering him again, but he refused all advances of assistance and finally got himself righted in the saddle.

The torches were lit and the group began moving, with the young king and queen surrounded by their royal sentries. After they were about a mile or so down the road, Math guided his horse in close to Zelda's and leaned towards her to speak quietly. "I've found the place where we're to meet the Akanean king, but there's not sign of him yet. It could take days."

"And what of your ship?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, then looked away again. "Pretty bad shape, but it can be fixed. Who knows how long it'll take to get it done. Could be a week, maybe more."

She had been wanting to hear something like that. They would be stranded for a few days, but that was just fine with her- it would mean more time with Link, even if it had to be monitored. She was pretty sure that Marth knew what she was looking forward to, but was surprised that he had not said anything about it. Usually it was no secret if something was on his mind, but he had surprisingly remained silent this time, or at least for now. Zelda had to wonder if he was not saving it for her when no one else was around.

The rest of the trip back to the beach was long, quiet, and dark, save for the dim torchlight. The guards seemed nervous, as if they were expecting something to happen, but Zelda felt safe. Probably because she had been with Link all day and knew that she was always safe with him. She had been missing that feeling of security ever since they had parted ways nearly four years ago, and it had been so pleasant to experience it again today. Not that she was paranoid or thought something might happen to her- there was just that guarantee that nothing ever would while Link was around. He would give his very life to protect to her, and it almost choked her up to know this.

Suddenly, Marth reined in his horse and held up a hand for silence. The guards stopped as one and looked to king for a command, but Marth remained silent. His eyes scanned the darkness around them slowly, and Zelda noticed that while his left hand was still clutching the reins, his right was lightly touching the hilt of the Falchion. She held her breath and listened intently, but only the sounds of the night could be heard.

Marth suddenly drew the sword. The guards immediately followed suit and one of them whispered, "What is it, Majesty?" But Marth just motioned for quiet again and quietly commanded three of his guards to investigate at the edge of the darkness. One of them held a torch, but the light did not even penetrate the shadows.

Zelda still sat tensely in the saddle of her horse, every muscle tight with anticipation as the guards checked suspiciously around the edge of the woods. Things were silent for a moment, but suddenly the guards sprang upon something- or rather someone. The view was blocked by the shadows, but Zelda could plainly see that a violent struggle broke out. The three guards tried to drag the person into the light, but they were obviously having a hard time. One of them drew a shortsword, and the other two began to beat their victim with closed fists. But after a howl of pain, one of them yelled, "Ye gods! He bit me!"

It came to Zelda then. "Rhashidi!" she cried out, and was off her horse and into the weeds much faster than she thought possible. She faintly heard Marth call after her, but she ignored him. "No, stop!" she was yelling desperately, but the guards seemed deaf to her cries. Finally, she jumped in the middle of them and began to literally push them back, and only then did they realize that she was there. "Sheathe your swords!" she commanded fiercely, and they quickly obeyed and backed away.

Zelda sank to her knees beside Rhashidi, who lay on his back with hands up to defend himself, panting savagely. His eye was already blackening and his face was cut in places with deep gashes- no wonder, for the guards had chainmail on their gloves. Blood was on his mouth, and Zelda gently wiped it away with the edge of her satin skirt. "I'm sorry, Rhashidi," she whispered, pushing his hair back. "What are you doing out here?"

Still obviously shaken but not hurt too badly, he focused on her face and swallowed hard. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

Ah, poor Rhashidi! He had only been trying to protect her and had taken a beating for it. She felt angry at the injustice, but just stroked the side of his jaw with her fingertips and silently fought back tears.

Suddenly, Marth had her by the arm. He pulled her to her feet and looked at her sternly, a silent reprimand that was meant to make her feel ashamed of her behavior. It worked a little, but she had only been concerned for Rhashidi. Marth only made things worse by hissing into her ear, "It's not the place of the queen of Altea to kneel in the dirt."

She wrenched her arm away and angrily motioned to Rhashidi. "Look what your soldiers did to him, Marth. He was only looking out for me."

"That's my job," he snapped, but softened a little when she sternly held his gaze. He then turned to the guards that were standing by. "He's a friend of the queen. Get him up and give him medical attention."

Rhashidi pushed them away when they tried to help him and threatened them with a growl when they persisted. He got himself up and glared untrustingly, and Zelda just wanted to hug him. That, of course, would only cause Marth to show more displeasure. Obviously, royalty in his country did not show emotion to friends, but it was not restricted in Hyrule. It insulted her that he thought she knew nothing of protocol- she had been a princess all her life. Then again, he was probably more worried about what it would do to his image if she did things to disgrace herself.

"Rhashidi, I'm sorry," she said again, taking his hands despite Marth's disapproving looks. "They thought you were after me. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

He looked down at her and said nothing, then glanced nervously at the surrounding men. He then leveled his eyes at Marth and curled his lip a little, his white fangs gleaming in his mouth, an obvious sign of disliking. If he had not just been injured, it might have been humorous.

Zelda touched his bleeding lip and tried to plead with him. "Rhashidi, please let them fix your wounds. I apologize for all of this..." But he only mumbled that he did not need fixing, and disappeared into the shadows without another word.

Later on at the beach, Zelda dismounted her horse and ignored Marth when he tried to help her down. She boarded the ship in silence and went straight to the master cabin, where she undressed for the night. Marth stood silently in the doorway until she sat on the edge of the bed and began to brush her hair.

Finally, he came in and and locked the door behind him. Zelda continued to ignore him until he stood in front of her and gently pushed her shoulders back.

"You're angry with me," he blurted, a hint of distress in his voice. She stopped brushing and looked at him.

"Marth, I'm not angry with you. It's just that... I"m not sure." The truth was, seeing Link and Rhashidi again had made her long for things more familiar. Altea was her home now, but it had never felt comfortable to her. Frankly, she missed her old life -she missed Link- but there was no way she could tell Marth that. "I'd just like to go home and see my father for awhile."

He sat down close beside her. "Okay, I'll take you to visit your father." He paused and then said quietly, "But I don't think that's the only thing that's bothering you."

She was about to assure him that it was when he abruptly touched the side of her face, so gently and almost, well, _loving_ that Zelda pulled back in surprise. He had never looked at her that way before, or touched her with such caring. She did not know what to do, so she only sat there and stared at him.

He suddenly jerked back as if she had slapped him, his face nearly flaming, and turned away. Zelda quickly had a wave of guilt- she had not meant to appear repulsed; it was just so shocking that it had been her first reaction to pull away. She so badly wanted to say so, but they rarely talked about serious things, especially about each other. They never mentioned the fact that they were married but not in love with each other, or that their wedding day had been only their second meeting, or that Zelda was clearly still in love with someone else. It had all happened so fast that they had just been practically thrown together, quickly finding themselves in wedlock with a child on the way. All these thoughts overwhelmed Zelda, and with her being as emotional as she was at the moment, she suddenly began to cry and surprised even herself.

Though she tried to stop the tears, Marth obviously heard her and turned back to look at her, his face pale. He clearly did not know what to do, for he merely stood there with his mouth ajar. Zelda hid her face with her hands and tried to stop herself, but the tears refused to stop. Also, the sound of it was louder than her own ears wanted to hear. She was embarrassed at her inability to quiet herself and attempted an explanation. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she whispered, the tears flowing silently now. "It all just hit me so fast. I miss home, my father, and... everything. But I'll get through it... I have no other choice."

"I know what it's about," Marth said, his voice thick. "Don't tell me it's not."

"No, it's-"

He grabbed her by the arms and looked at her squarely. Zelda had expected him to be angry, but his eyes looked almost sad. Then his voice broke and he said firmly, "Zelda, I love you."

She pulled away and left the room.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Zelda awoke in the ship's chambers alone. Her sleep had been so deep, she had not been aware of Marth's leaving earlier that day. She was normally a light sleeper, but lately she had been feeling poorly and knew that rest was vital. Still, she felt a bit lazy and decided to force herself out of bed and get started with the day.

When she sat up, however, a stabbing pain shot through her middle and drove her breath away. Naturally, her hand shot to her stomach and she gasped shortly, though she quickly told herself that is was probably nothing to worry about. Occasional pain was normal, wasn't it? Besides, it had never happened before, at least not that intense. Seeing the nurse would be the best decision, but she did not want to create panic by doing it. If the kingdom thought she was having complications, they'd only make a fuss over her, and she did not want to handle that right now. Ignoring it might be a foolish choice, but she had told Marth that she could handle the trip- a bit prideful, she knew, but she didn't want to prove him right. She carefully got up and dressed slowly, glad to see that there's was no more pain. Still, she had to admit that it had scared her. She guessed that it probably happened to every first-time expecting mother and she was just overreacting, but there was always that chance...

By the time she had made her way up on deck, it was nearly noon. The sun warmed her face but there was a strange feeling in the air, like something bad was just waiting to happen. One of the crewmen passed her with a respectful nod of his head and would have continued on if she had not reached out and stopped him.

"Where's Marth?" she quickly demanded, but the man seemed almost hesitant to answer. She looked at him steadily until he finally took a breath.

"His Majesty has already left the ship. He has gone to meet the Akanean king."

"When?"

"Early this morning."

Zelda felt her face grow hot. By Marth's allowing her to come along on the trip, she had assumed that meant they would be going to meet the rival king together. Apparently he had merely left her behind without even a word on the subject, and now she was quite angry, if not insulted. She was his wife, so that alone gave her the right to know what he was doing, at least to a point. After all, he was the king. But if he had just told her what he was planning the night before, she wouldn't be so offended now. Then again, maybe he had been aiming to; they had not spoken since what he had told her, about loving her. She was unsure if the words had been believable, but it was very unlike him to say something he did not mean; sort of like Link.

Maybe if she had not walked away last night, something could have come of their conversation. It was hard enough to get Marth to talk about personal things, and just when he had voluntarily attempted to speak with her, she had ruined it by running out like a fool. Then again, it had been nearly impossible to face him when he was telling her that he loved her- she was not exactly sure why. Perhaps it was because she was afraid of not being able to reply. She could not just say, "That's nice, but I don't feel the same. I'm still in love with another person." The truth sounded horrible when she thought of it that way, but that's all it was- the truth.

She sent the crewman off to go fetch Gathan, and he nodded again and quickly went to do her bidding. While she waited by herself, she watched the men as they worked to repair the damage on the ship, though it was obviously going slowly. They seemed to take their time when not under Marth's direct surveillance, but that was fine with her. She was in no hurry to get back to Altea. Besides, Marth had said he would take her to Hyrule. He would not break his word, but there was no telling when he would decide to follow through with the promise.

It was quite a few minutes before the man returned with Gathan. Zelda was surprised that Marth had left him behind as well, and it made her begin to think that this meeting between the two kings might be a private affair. Then again, he would have to take soldiers with him, at least a few. He was far too cautious to go by himself, and the guards were required not to allow it anyway.

"You called for me, your highness?" Gathan said, bowing low as the other man left. Zelda secretly hated when Gathan showed so much submission, but she allowed it. She knew that he only wanted to show respect for her, but with Marth, it was no doubt pure fear. The man was constantly jittery.

"Yes, Gathan." She smiled to try to calm his worry. "I'd like for you to come talk with me. Is that all right?"

He looked a bit surprised and blinked quickly. "Of course."

She led him over to a small pile of crates and sat slowly. Not the most appropriate seating arrangement for a queen, but it worked. "I've been told that Marth left for the meeting. It's the first time I've heard anything about it."

Gathan also sat, though he still looked quite uncomfortable. "Yes, he received word last night that the Akanean king had arrived. Did he not tell you?"

"No, and I was under the impression that we would be both be going."

He appeared to be confused and pondering. "So was I. However, His Majesty gave orders this morning to keep you on the ship. I do not know why."

Keep her on the ship? She bristled at the very thought. Sure, he was the king and this was his ship, but he should not be ordering her about. Or in this case, restricting her from leaving. As far as she was concerned, she had every right to get up and leave if she wanted to. She considered doing it just to spite him, but what if he actually had a legitimate reason?

"Did he happen to tell you why?"

"I believe it's a safety precaution." Gathan scratched his beard. "From what I gather, he does not trust the Akaneans one bit. I suppose he does not want you in their direct presence."

This was something new entirely. "Why, are they dangerous? I mean, I know they _are_. But I don't think they would make an attack in the middle of a peace arrangement."

"I should think not, but you know how it is. His Majesty is... a bit overly cautious, if you will pardon me."

Paranoid was a better word for it. "It would cause a war if they decided to make an advance. They would have to be fools to risk it."

"Of course."

Zelda turned a little and stared up at the cloudless blue sky, her feelings conflicting. She was not exactly worried for Marth, but Gathan's words had got her thinking. Marth had his soldiers with him, and there was nothing she could do to protect him anyway. But she would feel better if she could at least see what was going on, listen to what was said. If something bad did happen -which of course it wouldn't- she knew it would start a new war right then and there, and Marth didn't need that on him again. She knew that the last war he had fought in, not much time before their wedding, had scarred him more badly in the mental area than anything physical could have done. Yes, he still had problems with his damaged knee and occasional massive headaches, but he could handle that. It was the things that went on inside his mind that worried Zelda. She had heard that he had fallen into a dangerous state of depression after the war with Doluna, so she could only imagine the things he had been through- the things he had seen. He still sometimes awoke in a panic in the middle of the night, but she never let on that she had noticed; the first time it had happened, she had been more frightened than he had, and since it had scared her stiff, he had never realized that she was awake. After that, she began to get used to it. But she was concerned for him now, for she knew that if something did happen to start a battle, he would jump in with the Falchion swinging and would be thinking of his own safety last- very much like Link.

That thought sparked her imagination, but it also got her thinking seriously. She was beginning to see a pattern here, and, ironically, was discovering that Marth and Link were alike in many ways. She had witnessed Link do some seemingly crazy things, for he was one of those act-now-think-later types. Marth, on the other hand, normally liked to plan and think things through, but when it came to a battle, his body and mind were like two different beings, the latter usually acting last. Zelda herself was definitely a thinker, but she had never really had to go into physical action; there had always been someone else around to do it for her. The guards, Link, Rhashidi, and later Marth. Still, if she ever had to wield a sword, there would be no hesitation.

"Gathan," she said finally, still very distant and thoughtful, "sometimes I wonder how it will all end."

He glanced around nervously. "How will what end, your highness?"

She looked at him squarely. "My life. Ours lives, our story. Everything that's connected with us. Altea, Hyrule. Everything and everyone in-between. I've been through so much, so many things, it all seems like part of a puzzle that someone's putting together. I want to know the reason why things have happened. The pieces are moving into place, and I want to know the outcome. The puzzle will be finished eventually, won't it? I want to know what it'll look like when it's complete."

A light breeze came in from the sea, smelling strongly of salt. There was silence between them until Gathan finally spoke. "Your highness, I find your way of thinking impressive. Interesting at the least. You long for the bigger picture, as I myself have done many times. I sometimes find myself wondering, what purpose do I have? Surely there must be a reason why my life has turned out this way. I have served a powerful king all my life, and now his son. Yet... my heart is not happy."

Zelda could see the pain in his eyes, and she understood. Maybe he needed someone to do that, just to sit here and understand. She was probably the only one who ever had, or at least recently. "I don't know you very well. Hardly at all, in fact. But I feel that you are far above the treatment you get from my husband. You deserve more, Gathan."

He looked down and turned a humble red. "I receive from His Majesty only the things that I am worthy of. I am lucky to be under his rule."

"You say what you think I want to hear, and that's fine." She leaned over so he would looked at her. "You may not know it, but Marth is insecure. He's unsure of his role as king, and he abuses those around him in an attempt to feel more powerful."

Now he was staring at her. "His Majesty has all the power one could ever want."

"Yes, but he doesn't how to use it. He's still young, so he experiments."

His look was almost admiring. "As are you, your highness. Yet you seem to have wisdom far beyond your years. Tell me, how do you accomplish this?"

She found herself fingering the back of her left hand where the mark of the Triforce was hidden beneath her glove. "I'm not sure."

"I find that amazing, my queen. You will surely surpass even the wisest of advisors." He smiled now. "Perhaps you will even take my place."

Zelda noticed a few Altean soldiers approaching from the corner of her eye, but she smiled back at Gathan. "I would never." Only then did she turn her attention to the other three approaching men, who all dropped down to a knee in salute of her once they arrived.

"Your highness," one said promptly, and they rose as one. "Excuse me for the interruption."

"Go ahead."

The three of them glanced at each other through the slat in their metal helmets, then the one continued. "There seem to be two... young men, shall we say, down on the beach requesting an audience with the queen. They claim to be acquainted with you."

She frowned. "Who are they?"

"We're... not sure. But the one who spoke was very adamant."

"And what did he look like?"

"Hylian, your highness. Blond."

Aha, Link. She found herself very pleased with this discovery. "And the other?"

"Well... wolf-like, I would say. Quite the ruffian. Actually, that seems to go for the both of them."

Zelda fought a smile. "Not at all. Bring them to me." The soldier nodded once but still looked unsure. _He doesn't trust them. That's not surprsing, though- neither does his king. _

"You heard Her Majesty, men. Bring up the two young men." As they walked away, he said in a lower voice, "And make sure to keep an eye on them."

Keep an eye on them. Zelda found this to be humorous. These were the two boys who would fight -and kill- to protect her, and Marth's soldiers were worried about her safety. When they were around was the time for the least worry- she felt safer with those two than with the entire Altean army. There was no way anything would happen to her now. "Excuse me, highness," Gathan whispered as he sheepishly stood. Zelda had not meant for him to leave, but he was already heading back belowdecks before she could stop him.

Alone now, besides for the working crewmen around the ship, she found herself suddenly deep in thought. For the past few years, even the very thought of Link could ignite a spark of excitement within her, no less the fact that she might be seeing him face-to-face. She could not count the times she had just sat in silence, wishing and longing for only a mere glimpse of him, wondering when she would ever see him again- wondering if he was even still alive. On the night that he had told her of Jennan, it was like a part of her died- or a part of her heart had gone numb. She felt no ill feelings against the other girl, but Zelda had given up hope that day. For years, she had pictured her wedding day to be shared with Link, and she had hoped the feeling was mutual. It would not have been the normal marriage arrangement for a princess, but her father would have never denied her happiness.

Strangely, though, she did not feel excited at the moment, or even anxious. She loved Link and Rhashidi, obviously in different ways, but something was different this time. Oddly enough, she found that her thoughts kept drifting back to Marth, and that nearly shocked her. She never imagined that would actually happen, or at least not this soon. It was strange that she had been quite literally longing for Link this whole time, and now that she was so near to seeing him once again, she was not as concerned as much as she thought she should be.

Her confused thoughts were interrupted when she was abruptly grabbed from behind by both arms. She stiffened and yanked away, whirling around defensively, only to see Rhashidi grinning mockingly back at her. It took her a brief moment to relax, then she scolded, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" But she smiled back and hugged him because she knew he had done it on purpose. He always had to be stirring up some sort of trouble.

Over Rhashidi's tanned shoulder, she saw Link standing there with his hands in his pockets, smirking slightly as he looked back at her. Zelda felt her face grow hot, and she pulled away from Rhashidi's crushing embrace and smoothed down her hair. In Altea's eyes, it was unseemly for a queen to be friendly with anyone outside of her immediate circle -in her case, this would be her personal female servants and Marth- but she was not about to let herself have such restrictions. There was no such rule in her homeland, and there was no way she would forget where she came from.

"Guess I got you," Rhashidi jeered, his voice surprisingly even more bass than she remembered. He was still grinning, as if very much pleased with himself, and she couldn't help but continue to smile back.

"I guess so," she said, and noticed from the corner of her eye that Link was still looking at her intently. Only moments ago she had been wondering why her feelings had changed, but now that he was right in front of her, she realized they hadn't.

And she cursed herself inwardly.

**-O-**

"Check," Link said, pushing away a defending bishop and sliding his queen into place. Zelda glanced across the table at him briefly, then gave her attention back to the board. They sat over a game of chess in the ship's library, and this round seemed to be taking longer than usual. A few hours had passed since the boys had come aboard the _Dragonhead_, and the game was beginning to intensify. Three rounds of victory were in Zelda's favor, but Link was quickly catching on to her strategies. He leaned back in the chair and looked at her pointedly, as if challenging her to beat him again.

She tapped her fingernail against her teeth and slowly moved her king to safety. The two of them had used chess as entertainment in the past, and they had always been competitive in a friendly way. It brought back memories to sit here and do this again, and Zelda was secretly convinced that Link had suggested it on purpose. The moment he had discovered Marth's ivory chess set, they had immediately shared a look of recognition and had set up the board, just as they had those many years ago. Still, she had nearly always beat him then, and there seemed to be no difference now. In fact, she was even better equipped to be victorious- she had played against Marth, and as good as she was, he could certainly teach her a thing or two. There was no beating the master of strategy at his own game.

"You forget, Link," she said with a friendly smile. "I've played with the best."

Link only scoffed at her and continued to plan his next move. Rhashidi's eyes were focused intently on the game, but Zelda had a feeling that he had no idea what was going on. He lay on his stomach on the table next to them, his chin resting on his folded arms, knees bent with ankles crossed behind him. The position made him resemble that of a small child, but she was fully aware that he was as wild and dangerous as any wolf that could be found in the forest. She had missed that about him; the way he appeared timid and harmless on the surface, but the fact that he should be the most feared of all the people she knew. It would only take one word from her to make him kill, and she was sure he wouldn't hesitate if the time ever came.

Rhashidi had come a long way since she had first met him. While in exile, Zelda and her father had come across a middle-aged couple who had allowed them to stay a few nights in their home. Unaware that their guests were actually royalty, the couple had lent their small barn to the princess and her father. One night while lying awake in silence, Zelda had overheard the man and woman moving around outside in the darkness. Sure that it was well past midnight, Zelda had later gone out to find out what all the secrecy was about. That had led her to an underground cellar with a door of iron bars, but she had waited until the daytime to investigate further. Now with light to see by, she had discovered that the cellar had had an occupant: an overly thin boy with dirty hair and wild eyes (it was later that she had discovered his wolf features), chained to the wall by a metal collar around his neck. Her heart had gone out to him immediately, but he had shied away from her when she approached the bars and looked down at him, even though she tried to assure him that she was going to get him out. But on one day when the man and woman had left for the day, Zelda found the key to the cellar and had remained true to her promise.

Now looking at him, it was hard to tell he was even the same person. He was much calmer now, more in control of himself, and had surely put on a near hundred pounds of sheer muscle since. Back then, it had not taken Zelda very long to gain his trust, and once she had, he stuck to her as if afraid to leave her side. Though this had served to make him trustworthy with her, it was not so with anyone else. He had gone after nearly anything that moved, wildly tried to attack anyone who approached. It had interested Zelda when she had discovered that he had fangs, but that was what made him such a danger. He used his hands to restrain his victims, but it was his canine teeth that did the damage. It had been hard work, but she had finally managed to convince him that everyone was not a threat, and it was only then that she had sent him off to find Link.

She was so caught up in the past that she was hardly aware of Link's subtle, "Check mate." When the two words actually sank in, her eyes snapped back to the board and she realized that he was right. There was no way out, so with a hesitant frown, she slowly cupped her hand over her king and gently pushed it over until it dropped with a clink.

"Played against the best, huh?" Link said with a grin, beginning to put the pieces back in place. "Guess that doesn't mean you always win, does it?"

"You got one out of four," Rhashidi stated defiantly. "She still won."

So perhaps he _did_have a grasp on the game. Zelda was sorry that she had underestimated him. "My mind was elsewhere," she said, though it was obviously a lame excuse. Still, it was the truth. Not only had she been thinking about the past, but she was also wondering what was happening at the meeting between Marth and the Akanean king. Of course these things took time, but Marth sure had been gone a long while.

"Maybe I'm just getting back at you. You always used to beat me," Link joked, which was quite unlike him- or at least unlike how Zelda used to know him. This made her think that she was surely losing grip on their friendship, and she wished that they could talk seriously, even for just five minutes. That's all she needed. She wanted to discuss what was happening now in their lives, to find out things about his present self, rather than just assume by what she remembered. She could tell that he felt the same way, but there was an unspoken, invisible divide between them now that prevented it. Actually, that divide consisted of people- two of them, in fact, and that was Jennan and Marth. Had Zelda's husband and Link's girlfriend not existed, the situation would not be the same. Zelda and Link were too formal now, too distant.

Back when she had received word of Jennan's miscarriage, she had for a brief moment thought that would free Link of the younger girl. Immediately, she had reprimanded herself for even having such thoughts. It was incredibly selfish to think that way, for she told herself that Link should do whatever made him happy, and that in turn would please her. Also, she was married to Marth at the time and it would have done her no good regardless. Besides, seeing that Link was still with Jennan to this day, it was obvious that he had made his choice. Used to, knowing that was like a stab to her heart; now it was only a dull pain.

The strip of orange light that was coming through the stained-glass porthole showed that the sun was beginning to set. Again, Zelda found herself wondering just how long Marth was going to be gone. There might be trouble if he returned to find Link and Rhashidi on the ship, especially if the meeting had gone badly. Still, she wasn't about to kick them out just to spare herself from hearing Marth's disapproving rant. Luckily, Rhashidi saved her from having to worry about it when he slid off the table and stretched.

"I want to get back," he said, yawning deeply, his fangs very visible. Then his jaws snapped shut and he looked at her hopefully. "Zelda. Come with us."

Link was also looking at her for an answer, but she didn't know what to say to them. Marth had given her a direct order to stay on the ship, but she had never really listened to him and didn't want to start now. Not only that, but she wanted to go with them- there should be nothing holding her back from that, so she finally agreed. This seemed to please them both, and Zelda sent for a servant to prepare her horse for the trip.

Unable to sit still any longer, Rhashidi again mumbled something about getting back and abruptly left the ship, leaving Zelda and Link sitting alone at the table. For some reason the mood in the room turned awkward, and Zelda no longer knew what to say; Rhashidi was normally silent anyway, but she was surprised when she realized how much difference his presence made. With him gone, it almost felt like she and Link were strangers again, and she hated it. However, she seemed to be the only one that was noticing, so she tried to make conversation.

"I see that something's a little different about Rhashidi. What's his hurry to get back?"

Link shrugged, but he was grinning slightly. "I dunno, probably Memnet."

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows. "What makes you say that?"

"I know what Jennan's told me. And I can just tell."

From what Zelda remembered, Memnet was Jennan's older sister, the brown-haired girl who had seemed almost distrustful of the young queen. Still, at least she now understood the reason behind Rhashidi's restlessness- apparently he had a girlfriend. They struck her to make an odd couple, but she didn't know anything about Memnet and couldn't say for sure. Zelda cared for Rhashidi like a brother and wanted to see him content, but he had good judgement and was certainly capable of looking out for himself. If he wanted Memnet, then she wasn't about to stop him. In fact, hearing this news, however unexpected it was, made her happy for him. It was about time he stopped getting himself in trouble and settled down, and it would probably take a woman to accomplish that.

"So," Link said after while, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table. "When's your guy supposed to be back?"

She couldn't help but smile a little. It was funny to hear Marth, the mighty young king of Altea, be addressed as 'her guy'. "There's no way to tell. He could stay there and discuss things with the Akaneans all night."

"You worried about him?"

It was unlike Link to ask such a thing, but she had to answer. "Well... I know that he can take care of himself."

He forced a half smile. "Well that sure doesn't answer the question."

When had he gotten so persistent? Apparently there was no getting around this. "Maybe just a bit. After all, he's a well-known man. A lot of people want him dead."

"Yeah." There seemed to be a reason he was asking and she studied his blue eyes intently, determined to find out what it was. He looked back at her almost as if he _wanted_her to inspect his true intentions, and it was then that she realized he had, in fact, asked it for a reason. From what she gathered, it appeared that there was another message in the question, and it was for him to find out where she stood when it came to Marth. He was basically asking if she loved the young king- and in turn trying to find out if she still had feelings for him as well. Zelda blinked hard when she realized this, shocked. Just as she had been all this time, Link was wondering if she was still in love with him, and though this was what she had been waiting for, there was no way she could answer now. Coming out with the truth would only complicate things, and it was clear they both knew it. That was why the look in Link's eyes had been almost sad; he knew that bringing this out in the open would be pointless in the end, but for some reason he had been willing to try anyway. Zelda wanted to cry, or run away screaming- he was finally hinting that he still loved her, giving her closure on the thing she had wondered about so much, and now she could do _nothing_ about it.

She didn't know whether to be thankful or disappointed when one of her servants entered the room. The young man, hardly more than a boy, bowed to her and briefly nodded to Link. "You called for me, majesty?"

It took a moment to find her voice. "Yes. I want you to tack up my horse and prepare him for a ride." When he merely stood there, she raised her eyebrow and frowned slightly. "Do you understand?"

Now he looked nervous. "Yes, majesty... but you see... majesty..."

Only then did she realize what his problem was. He was remembering Marth's command to keep her on the ship, and here she was ordering him to disobey. She felt bad for putting him in the middle of it. "I'm aware of the king's order," she said firmly. "But now you need to do what I tell you. If Marth wants to blame someone for this, I'll make sure it falls on me. Now go."

The boy still looked undecided, but he nodded and quickly left. Unable to meet Link's eyes, Zelda got up and headed towards the deck before she was forced to say anything more. It took a few minutes for the preparations to be finished, but it wasn't long before they were on the road. Her personal guards had insisted on accompanying her, but she refused their request. She saw no reason for them to come along when she had Link and Rhashidi with her, and the whole ship had watched in silence when she had left- probably hoping that Marth didn't send them all to the gallows when he found out that his order had been ignored.

Link's dog Gelert had been waiting for them on the beach, and he now followed behind the horses as they made their way towards the woods. Their riders didn't talk much, and Zelda found the silence to be a bit uncomfortable. It was no surprise that Link didn't appear to notice, and she kept her eyes on his back as he led the way, the horses forced to walk single-file on the narrow wooded trail. There as no sign of Rhashidi anywhere, but he had never really liked travelling in such close proximity to other people. Regardless, she found herself wishing that he was here now just so it wouldn't be only Link and herself- which was a strange thought in itself, because this was what she had been wanting for so long.

Still, she had gone through some change lately and was suffering enough confusion as it was, especially with the situation concerning Marth the night before. He had stated that he loved her, but she was having a hard time believing him; in her opinion, they still didn't know each other well enough to say that, but he had sounded serious. The mere thought of remembering how she had ran out was enough to make her cringe, but she had felt trapped at the time and reacted by doing the first thing that came to her. To make matters worse, he was gone when she had returned to the room, and she hadn't seen him since. No doubt her mindless actions had made him feel just as foolish as she did, if not worse. Maybe she would find a way to approach the subject again, if possible. It wasn't often that he wanted to talk of personal things, and she regretted possibly destroying the chance of his ever trying it again. Then again, what could she say? 'I'm sorry about running out last night, I feel like an idiot"? She couldn't imagine just coming out with that but decided it would be best to at least try. It probably couldn't make things any worse.

It didn't seem to take as much time to reach the plantation as it had the day before, but it was nearly dark when they arrived. Link slid off Epona and then helped Zelda dismount, and Artos soon came along to take the horses to the stable. Zelda gave him a friendly greeting, but he only smiled grimly in response before his attention shifted off to the side at something behind her. She glanced back discreetly and noticed Rhashidi against the outside of the stable's wall, sitting with his knees drawn up as if he had been waiting for them to arrive. Despite the dusk, she saw a flash in his eyes when Artos met his gaze, and a wall of tension sparked between the two of them as Artos passed. The latter was the first to break the electric stare, and he hurried on about his business- but Zelda understood now. She remembered when Artos and Memnet had shared nearly the same silent look in the kitchen the day before, and the swollen bruise on young man's temple. Now that Zelda was aware of whatever Rhashidi and Memnet had, it was obvious that Artos was in the middle of it; clearly he had feelings for the girl as well, possibly long before Rhashidi had even come into the picture. For a moment Zelda figured the dark bruise that Artos displayed was the result of Rhashidi's doing, but she quickly decided otherwise. If the wolf-boy had gotten physically defensive of Memnet, the wounds be far more extensive than a mere black eye. She could only hope that the two of them didn't pursue it further, for she knew that if a fight ensued, Artos wouldn't stand a chance.

Rhashidi's demeanor changed completely as soon as the stable hand was out of sight. He stood up and stretched, presenting them again with his normal self, and Zelda was relieved. Link stood there with his hands in his pockets, just looking at her, and she wondered what he was thinking. There was no way to find out something that impossible, so she just looked back until he finally glanced away and spoke. "Well, I guess there's no sense just standing around out here. Unless you want to wait for your guy."

Since that could mean waiting all night, she shook her head. "No, it's fine."

"Great, I'm starving." He scoffed a little. "You know, Dorobis doesn't usually like guests that aren't his own, but he's fine with it when they're royalty. I guess he just wants something to brag about when he gets together with his merchant clan."

He was clearly more talkative than he used to be, and she was glad for him. Still, there was something nagging at the back of her mind about Marth, and she worried that something had gone wrong. _No,_ she reassured herself. _If something happened, we would have gotten word by now. Marth likes to debate, so it could be awhile before these peace talks are settled. Besides, Marth is certainly capable of protecting himself._

"I'm a little... starving myself," she said, and couldn't help but smile. It had been such a long time that she could relax enough to joke around, and it made her feel very alive. She was with the people that made her the most comfortable now, and it would be best to just let it flow. The only thing that would complete this feeling, she thought, was her father. According to Marth's words the night before, she would be seeing him soon enough. They headed inside, but Rhashidi didn't follow. She hoped he wasn't going off in search of Artos.

Once inside the lantern-lit house, she was greeted with friendly words all around. Jennan's words were especially warm, and it calmed Zelda to find that there wasn't even a hint of ill feelings between them. The girl may have been young, but she seemed pretty level-headed when it came to maturity. It probably wouldn't be long before the two of them became friends, and Zelda was immensely glad to know this.

The mere smell of whatever Ima was cooking was enough to cause Zelda's stomach to have a hunger spasm. It wasn't that she was exactly hungry all the time, but she had reached the point where almost anything could look appealing. Marth had kind of joked with her about this a few weeks ago- one of the rare times that the feeling had struck him to make a jest. Ima insisted that they take a seat, and Zelda quietly refused when Memnet moved to pull out the princess's chair. Zelda had always been treated like royalty, even more so now that she was queen of Altea, but she felt more at home here and didn't mind being a little more human. In her opinion, the subjects of Altea took her rank a bit too seriously, but then again she could see why. Marth allowed no room for disrespect in his kingdom, a lot like his father had before him, but that certainly had its positive side- any Altean would most likely choose compliance over death, and she was sure that's exactly what the consequences would be.

Dorobis entered the house not too long after, looking unusually pleased. "Hello, your highness." He nodded to Zelda and even clapped a hand on Link's shoulder as he passed on the way to the stairs, which caused Link and Jennan to look at each other in obvious amazement. Matayo, who was sitting to Zelda's left, leaned forward and whispered with a scowl, "What's _his_ problem?"

Suddenly stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Dorobis glanced back over his shoulder. "Oh yes, Princess Zelda. I ran into your husband on the way here, so I suppose he will be here shortly."

There was no way to tell what Marth would say to her when he came, and she couldn't help but feel a bit of dread. She didn't really care what he had to say when they were alone, but he had no right to make a fool of her in public. Her disobeying his orders was between the two of them, and she was much more willing to face him alone than with a crowd standing by.

When he finally did arrive, Zelda could see it in his face that something hadn't gone right at the meeting. Dorobis gave an overly-animated welcome, obviously amused to have royalty in his house, and shook Marth's hand with quite a bit of enthusiasm. Marth stood there tolerating the man's excited gestures, but Zelda knew he didn't want to be here; why he had come, she still hadn't quite figured out. Probably just to keep an eye on her, as if she would actually do anything that required his surveillance. Still, he hid pretty well his desire to not be there, and he was even fairly friendly to Dorobis and his family, despite the fact they were so far below him in rank. He had been raised a prince, but she was thankful that he had enough courtesy not to act like it too much. Most nobility would go to their grave before associating themselves with a mere merchant's family, and she knew that he wasn't doing it because he wanted to- strangely, he was doing it for her.

A grinning Dorobis showed Marth to the chair beside Zelda, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye as he sat. He wasn't looking back at her, and she took this to mean that he was saving everything he had to say for when they were alone. It was a bit disappointing to know that she had angered him, but at least she didn't have to deal with it here. She could only imagine his reaction when he had returned to the ship and discovered her to be the only one missing; she had to wonder if actions like that on her part would damage her social status, and she felt even worse. What kind of example was she setting to the people of Altea? What if they decided that if even the queen didn't obey the king's orders, they didn't have to either? Suddenly, she couldn't really blame him for being angry, so she knew there would be a lot of explaining to do later.

As Ima began to serve them, the door abruptly swung open with a good bit of force, and a blonde young woman stood in the doorway with an open mouth. "Eeee!" she cried shrilly, clapping her hands together. "So it _is_ true!"

Jennan's expression turned stony when she caught sight of the girl, and Link kind of hid his face with a hand to his forehead, and Zelda barely heard him mumble, "Oh my god" in Hylian. Zelda didn't know what the sudden change of mood was about, but the girl's hungry, green-eyed stare was drilling right into her own. Dorobis grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her inside with a large grin.

"This is my niece, Beth," he announced, beaming, and Zelda forced a smile.

The girl flipped her hair and escaped her uncle's grasp, blatantly ignoring the entire room except the royal couple. "I was told there was a _king_here, but I had to see for myself! I can't believe it's actually true!" Her voice was incredibly high and dripped with a large amount of enthusiasm, nearly a screech. Zelda was beginning to understand the flinching that taken place on her arrival to the room, but she hadn't imagined that the situation could get worse. Flouncing past everyone else, Beth made her way to the far side of the table and pulled up a spare chair. Smiling broadly with sparkling white teeth, she shoved it to the table by Marth's free side and sat daintily facing him, chin resting in both hands. Somehow her smile managed to widen, and she blinked a few times at him. "Hiii," she purred, and Zelda felt strangely insulted.

Marth didn't budge, but he eyed the girl warily. "Hi," he said finally, voice flat.

Beth covered her mouth and giggled. "Oh my goodness, you're talking to me. I talked to a king! _Me!_"

Zelda doubted if Marth had ever been forced to deal with a situation like this before, but truthfully neither had she. In Altea, or even Hyrule, despite the girl's height of friendliness, this would be considered as very rude. Beth was probably around Zelda's own age, large busted and very beautiful, but her personality made her come off as an overly hyper schoolgirl. Or perhaps overly lovesick. To make matters even more awkward, she actually leaned over and wrapped her hands around Marth's arm as she gushed on about how privileged she felt to be in the same room as royalty. Zelda was so shocked that she wasn't sure what she would do even if her body could move.

Marth still wasn't moving, but he glanced at Zelda as if silently pleading for help. Link had both hands to his face now, and Jennan looked like she wanted to strangle her cousin. Everyone else just sat there awkwardly until Memnet finally let out a heavy sigh and rose from her chair, her hands closed to fists on the table. "Beth, I want you to come outside with me for a minute."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it."

Beth looked clueless, but she got up and followed her cousin out the door. Zelda didn't normally judge a new acquaintance this soon after meeting them, but she was already unsure about this girl. It was easy to see that Link was uncomfortable with her as well, but what bothered Zelda the most was the way she hadn't even hesitated to throw herself at Marth. Zelda found herself to be surprised that she even cared; still, it was inappropriate to put your hands on someone's husband, regardless of how 'friendly' you wanted to make it seem. That was the whole point- the gesture wasn't intended to be friendly, and it was clear to Zelda that it had been a strange attempt at flirting.

It wasn't jealousy that she was feeling, or at least she didn't think so. This was more about status, really. Even if she didn't love Marth, she had married him and he was hers. No other woman had the right to touch him, and if Zelda had been born with a more headstrong personality, she would have said so. But she only sat stiffly and held her tongue, thankful that Memnet had taken charge of the situation, or at least provided a way to avoid it.

"I'm sorry about that," Jennan said after a few moments, a tense edge in her voice. "My cousin doesn't know how to control herself."

Dorobis waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, she's just excited." He pulled out a chair and sat across from the young royalty with a pleasant smile, but it seemed to be a bit forced. Zelda felt him studying her, and she knew that he was closely examining her expensive clothes, her gold jewelry and many earrings. She felt kind of uncomfortable under his gaze, but made sure not to show it; she hadn't come here to be intimidated by people she didn't know, and there was no telling what the man was thinking. He finally folded his hands on the table and leaned forward, his grin just a little too wide. "So tell me. You've come all the way from Altea, yes?"

Marth only sat there in silence, so Zelda was forced to answer. "That's right."

"Ah, a long trip then. I am a merchant, so I know quite a lot about traveling distance."

"Yes." Why wasn't Marth answering in her stead? He should be the one talking to this man, not her. She took a quick glance at him from the corner of her eye and noticed that not only he was strangely sweaty, but his eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn't slept in days. If something that bad had happened at the meeting, surely he would have told her and wouldn't just be sitting here in silence. The feeling of dread that she had been ignoring all day flared up within her then, much more intense than before. Dorobis was still going on about his business as a merchant, and all the important people he had met because of it. To be polite, Zelda tried to listen as she ate but found that she was too distracted with Marth's awkward behavior. Normally he would have involved himself in the conversation and probably found a way to debate about it, but it didn't appear that he was even in the same room with them.

She knew better than to think he was intimidated by these people, and even then he would hide it well. It was hard to tell if this was about the meeting or what had happened last night. If it was the latter, she felt that she deserved it. When they returned to the ship later, she would have to do something to fix this situation, or at least better it as much as she could. Not only did she avoid confrontation by nature, but she couldn't handle the stress of having to deal with this for a long period of time.

Jennan leaned over and whispered something to Matayo, who shrugged. Link seemed to have recovered after Beth left the room, and that made Zelda wonder what the girl had done to him in the past. After seeing the way she had acted a few minutes ago, nothing would surprise Zelda about her behavior. It was a mystery to the princess how anyone, especially a young lady, could have such little respect for themselves.

Memnet returned to the house then, her eyebrows etched into a stony frown. Beth did not accompany her, but Artos entered soon after with an expression that matched hers. They wordlessly took their seats as Dorobis continued talking, and Zelda noticed that everyone seemed to be additionally quiet when the man was around. From what she gathered, Ima and Artos were the two slaves of the house, but the rest of them, save Link, were related. She didn't understand how this man could hold so much dominion over his own family. No one had told her anything specific about his personality, but she could feel it in the very air about him that he owned everything around him, and he wanted people to know it. It was easy to see why he and Link clashed so savagely.

"So that was the time I traveled to Doluna... and a very long trip it was," Dorobis was saying. Finally he leaned back in the chair, his arms crossed, and studied the royalty before him with a strange sudden interest. Something flashed in his dark eyes that sent a wave of distrust through Zelda. "So," he said, his voice casual now, almost as if he was forcing it to cover up another, more sinister intention. "I understand that your country had a previous war with Doluna, yes?"

This time Zelda purposefully did not answer. He asked the question as if he was unsure of the answer, but she could tell that he knew very well the circumstances. He knew that Marth had personally fought in that war, and there was something in him that made her think that his loyalties were with Doluna. It was hard not to challenge him on the matter, but she must keep silent. Did he know nothing of their rival country that strove to overtake and enslave the people of Altea, claiming an unproven right to the land? Hyrule had been enemies with Altea as well, but she had seen even then the error of Doluna's ways. Well, if that was his opinion, then so be it- but that war had scarred Marth in more than one way, and she was insulted that Dorobis would purposefully bring it up to them. This man was certainly not ignorant, and he was very aware of what he was saying; only little did he know, she was aware of what he truly meant, and she was not about to be ensnared in his trap. But why had he laid it? Surely he wasn't that closely tied in with Doluna, to where he would go as far as to make a taunt at their rival king, no matter how subtle he wanted to make it seen.

Marth had the highest intellect of anyone she knew, and she was sure he had picked up on this as well. But he still remained silent, and she began to worry. As far as she knew, he had never held his tongue to anyone who had challenged him like this, no matter what rank or status they held. She had even heard him cross his own father in the past- an act that, for the ordinary person, took quite a bit courage. It was only now that she truly accepted that something might be wrong.

Finally, Matayo and Ima began talking on another subject to cover the awkward, lengthy silence. Dorobis seemed, if she was not mistaken, almost a bit pleased that she hadn't answered his question. Perhaps he thought she couldn't come up with one, but now Zelda didn't care. As the conversation picked up around the table again, she took another quick glance at Marth. He sat there motionlessly, the plate in front of him untouched but the glass of water nearly dry. Ima noticed this as well and rose to fill it again, whereas he kind of nodded to her and proceeded to drain the second glass as well. The hand that gripped the glass was shaking slightly. Beneath the table, Zelda reached over and placed a hand on his arm, very concerned now, and felt that he was dangerously feverish. It was clearly time to leave now, and she could only hope he would make it back to the ship without passing out.

Now she had to figure out a way to get out of here without coming off as rude. Seeing that no one else was eating, Ima and Artos began clearing away the dishes as Dorobis excused himself and headed outside, Matayo following. With her hand still on Marth's arm, Zelda summoned a smile at Ima as the old woman passed, but her mind was working hard to find a acceptable escape route. Memnet said something quietly to Jennan, and the two of them discreetly headed upstairs. Zelda didn't want to be rude, but she didn't want a crowd either, so she left Marth with his forehead resting on his hands and quietly headed over to Link, who was still seated and apparently oblivious to her situation. She touched his shoulder on the way towards the front door, and he got up and followed her.

A warm breeze was blowing outside on the porch, but she didn't have time to enjoy it. Link closed the door behind him and stood there looking at her, hands in his pockets. He looked like he expected to talk with her, and she wished she could- only there were more pressing issues at the moment. With worry pressing into her throat, she told him all that she knew. "Something happened at that meeting today," she said quietly. "Marth was fine last night, but now all the sudden he's really ill. I need to get him back to ship. My nurse is there."

Link rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Yeah. Okay."

"I don't want to seem like I'm just rushing off, but-"

"You should go. He's looked kinda bad all night."

She had known he would understand. Once they were in the house again, she saw that Marth was leaning face-down on the table now, his forehead resting on his folded arms. Seeing that he was a king and this bodily position in public was clearly unacceptable, it was easy to see that something was very wrong. She went to him and touched the back of his neck, which was hot with fever. Ima looked over at them with concern and discreetly asked if he was okay. "I don't know," Zelda replied, her whole body tense. She leaned over and pushed his hair away from his face, but he didn't stir. There wasn't even a hint of response. "Marth," she prodded, struggling to keep her worry inaudible.

Ima came over then, her face troubled. "May I?" Zelda moved out of her way and stood by as the old woman proceeded to examine him as well, her grey eyebrows frowning deeply. "He's unconscious," she said finally, fingers exploring his forehead. "And no wonder. This fever is at a dangerous height." Only Zelda, Link, and Ima were in the room now, and though the woman kept a reserved face, it was easy to see that the situation was serious.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, but Ima shook her head.

"I can't tell, but there's discoloration to the skin. This isn't good."

At last he moved a little, and it seemed to take all of his strength just to speak. "The wine," he managed, voice hoarse. "It was the wine."

"You had wine?" Zelda said shakily. "At the meeting?"

"How could I have been so stupid..." he mumbled, then after a few brief moments of fighting unconsciousness, went still again, his breathing labored.

Zelda's eyes snapped back to Ima, who now looked a little pale. "What does he mean?"

"It's poison," the old woman said, eyes wide. "By the looks of it, a deliberate one." Her gaze met Zelda's. "And if it's deliberate, it's meant to kill. Honey, we need to move fast if we're going to save him."

At that moment, his survival became Zelda's chief concern. And how the Akanean king had the gall to pull a cheap shot like this at a peace agreement, she didn't know. But she did know that if Marth lived through this, there would be a war like none of them had ever imagined.

**-O-**

**So how do you like my five-month wait to update, eh? Eh? Yeah, it's annoying, I know. I've just been really really slow lately, but this **_**is**_** going to get done. All right, so review on this stuff so I'll know that I should continue, okay?**


End file.
